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HISTORICAL  SKETCH 


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Groton,  Massachusetts. 

1655-1890. 

BY 

SAMUEL   A.  CxREEN. 


GROTON: 

181)4. 


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^0  t|)0  ilffllemorg 


GEORGE    DEXTER    BRIGHAM 

(TowxN  Clerk,  1855-1893), 

A  LIFE-LONG    FRIEND  AND   NEIGHBOR   IN   MY   NATIVE   TOWN, 

WHO    OFTEN    GAVE    MOST    CHEERFUL    HELP    IN    MY 

LOCAL    INVESTIGATIONS, 

THIS   SKETCH  IS  INSCRIBED. 


PREFACE. 


THE  following  pages  were  written  originally 
for  a  "  History"  of  Middlesex  County," 
published  in  Philadelphia  four  years  ago ;  and  a 
few  copies  were  then  separately  struck  off.  The}' 
were  intended  merely  as  a  sketch  of  the  town, 
and  not  as  a  full  or  formal  history.  In  justice  to 
the  writer  this  statement  seems  to  be  necessary, 
as  the  annals  of  Groton,  so  rich  in  material,  and 
covering  so  long  a  period  of  time,  are  here 
treated  in  a  very  scant}'  way.  Through  some 
misunderstanding  the  work  was  not  divided 
into  Chapters,  as  had  been  the  intention  of  the 
author,  who  had  no  opportunity  to  see  the  revised 
proofs. 

With  the  exception  of  the  notice  of  Major 
Palmer,  the  brief  biographies  at  the  end  of  the 
book  were  not  written  by  the  author  of  this  His- 
torical Sketch.  Luther  Blood,  a  notice  of  whom 
tiiere  appears,  died  on  September  22,  1893. 

S.  A.  G. 
Boston,  :\[arch  It),   1894. 


AN   HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

OF   THE 

TOWN  OF  GROTON/ 


The  town  of  Groton  lies  in  the  northwestern  part 
of  Middlesex  County,  Massachusetts,  and  is  bounded 
on  the  north  by  Pepperell  and  Dunstable ;  on  the  east 
by  Tyngsborough  and  Westford ;  on  the  south  by  Lit- 
tleton and  Ayer;  and  on  the  west  by  Shirley  and 
Townsend.  The  First  Parish  meeting-house — or  "  the 
tall-spired  church" — is  situated  in  latitude  42°  36^ 
21.4^^  north,  longitude  71°  34^  4^^  west  of  Greenwich, 
according  to  the  latest  observations  of  the  United 
States  Coast  Survey.  It  is  distant  nearly  thirty-one 
miles  in  a  straight  line  from  the  State  House  at  Bos- 
ton, but  by  the  traveled  road  it  is  about  thirty-four 
miles.  The  village  of  Groton  is  situated  principally 
on  one  long  street,  known  as  Main  Street,  a  section 
of  the  Great  Road,  which  was  formerly  one  of  the 
principal  thoroughfares  between  Eastern  Massachu- 
setts and  parts  of  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont. 
The  Worcester,  Nashua  and  Rochester  Railroad  passes 

1  Reprinted  from  "  The  History  of  Middlesex  County,  Massachusetts." 

1 


2  GROTON. 

through  it,  and  traverses  the  township  at  nearly  its 
greatest  length,  running  six  miles  or  more  within  its 
limits.  It  is  reached  from  Boston  by  trains  on  the 
Fitchburg  Railroad,  connecting  with  the  Worcester, 
Nashua  and  Eochester  road  at  Aver,  three  miles  dis- 
tant from  the  village. 

The  original  grant  of  the  township  was  made  in  the 
spring  of  1655,  and  gave  to  the  proprietors  a  tract  of 
land  eight  miles  square;  though  subsequently  this 
was  changed  by  the  General  Court,  so  that  its  shape 
varied  somewhat  from  the  first  plan.  It  comprised  all 
of  what  is  now  Groton  and  Ayer,  nearly  all  of  Pepperell 
and  Shirley,  large  parts  of  Dunstable  and  Littleton, 
and  smaller  parts  of  Harvard  and  Westford,  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  small  portions  of  Hollis  and  Nashua, 
in  New  Hampshire.  The  present  shape  of  the  town 
is  very  irregular,  and  all  the  original  boundary  lines 
have  been  changed  except  where  they  touch  Town- 
send  and  Tyngsborough. 

The  earliest  reference  to  the  town  on  any  map  is 
found  in  the  Reverend  William  Hubbard's  "  Narra- 
tive of  the  Troubles  with  the  Indians  in  New-Eng- 
land," a  work  published  at  Boston  in  the  early  spring 
of  1677,  and  in  London  during  the  ensuing  summer 
under  a  different  title.  The  map  was  the  first  one  cut 
in  New  England,  and  of  course  done  in  a  crude  man- 
ner. It  was  engraved  probably  by  John  Foster,  the 
earliest  Boston  printer.  The  towns  assaulted  by  the 
Indians  in  Philip's  War  are  indicated  on  the  map  by 
figures;  and  at  that  period  these  places  were  attract- 
ing some  attention  both  here  and  in  the  mother 
country. 


GROTON.  3 

There  were  two  petitions  for  the  plantation  of 
Groton,  of  which  one  was  headed  by  Mr.  Deane 
Winthrop,  and  the  other  by  Lieutenant  William 
Martin.  The  first  one  is  not  known  to  be  in  exist- 
ence, but  a  contemporaneous  copy  of  the  second  is  in 
the  possession  of  the  New  England  Historic  Genea- 
logical Society.  The  signatures  vary  in  the  style  of 
handwriting,  but  they  do  not  appear  to  be  autographs, 
and  may  have  been  written  by  the  same  person.  The 
answer  to  the  petition  is  given  on  the  thir.d  page  of 
the  paper,  and  signed  by  Edward  Rawson,  secretary 
of  the  Colony,  which  fact  renders  it  probable  that  this 
is  the  petition  actually  presented  to  the  General  Court 
as  the  original  one,  after  it  had  been  copied  by  a 
skillful  penman.  It  was  found  many  years  ago  among 
the  papers  of  Captain  Samuel  Shepley,  by  the  late 
Charles  Woolley,  then  of  Groton,  but  who  subse- 
quently lived  at  Waltham ;  and  by  him  given  to  the 
New  England  Historic  Genealogical  Society.  The 
petition  is  written  on  the  first  page  of  a  folio  sheet, 
and  the  answer  by  the  General  Court  appears  on  the 
third  page  of  the  paper.  Near  the  top  of  the  sheet 
are  the  marks  of  stitches,  indicating  that  another 
paper  at  one  time  had  been  fastened  to  it.  Perhaps 
the  petition  headed  by  Deane  AVinthrop  was  attached 
when  the  secretary  wrote  the  action  of  the  General 
Court,  beginning,  "In  Ans'"  to  both  theise  peticons." 
The  grant  of  the  plantation  was  made  by  the  Court 
of  Assistants  on  May  25,  1655 — as  appears  by  this 
document — though  subject  to  the  consent  of  the 
House  of  Deputies,  which  was  given,  in  all  proba- 
bility, on  the  same  day.     In  the  absence  of  other  evi- 


4  GROTON. 

dence,  this  may  be  considered  the  date  of  the  incor- 
poration, which  is  not  found  mentioned  elsewhere. 

In  the  early  history  of  the  Colony  the  proceedings 
of  the  General  Court,  as  a  rule,  were  not  dated  day 
by  day — though  there  are  many  exceptions — but  the 
beginning  of  the  session  is  always  given,  and  occa- 
sionally the  days  of  the  month  are  recorded.  These 
dates  in  the  printed  edition  of  the  records  are  fre- 
quently carried  along  without  authority,  sometimes 
covering  a  period  of  several  days  or  even  a  week; 
and  for  this  reason  it  is  often  impossible  to  learn  the 
exact  date  of  any  particular  legislation,  when  there 
are  no  contemporaneous  papers  bearing  on  the  subject. 

The  petition  and  endorsement  are  as  follows : 

"To  the  honored  Generall  Courte  assembled  at  Boston  the  humble  pe- 
tion  of  vs  whose  names  ar  here  vnder  written  humbly  shoeth 

"That  where  as  youre  petioners  by  a  prouidence  of  god  haue  beene 
brought  ouer  into  this  wildernes  and  liued  longe  herein:  and  being 
eumthing  straightned  for  that  where  by  subsistance  in  an  ordinarie 
waie  of  gods  prouidence  is  to  be  had,  and  Considdering  the  a  lowance 
that  god  giues  to  the  sunes  of  men  for  such  an  ende  :  youre  petioners 
request  there  fore  is  that  you  woiild  be  pleased  to  grant  vs  a  place  for  a 
plantation  vpon  the  Riuer  that  runes  from  Nashaway  in  tomerimake  at 
a  place  or  a  boute  a  place  Caled  petaupaukett  and  waubansconcett  and 
youre  petioners  shall  pray  for  youre  happy  prosedings 

•'  WiLLiaM  Martin 
EicHARD  Blood 
•John  W^itt 
William  Lakin 
Richard  Hauen 
Timothy  Coopee 
John  Lakin 
John  Blood 
Mathu  Faerington 
Robert  Blood 


GROTON.  O 

"In   Ansr  to  both   theise  peticons  The  Court  Jmlgeth  it  meete  to 
graunt  the  peticonefs  eight  miles  square  in  the  place  desired  to  make  a 
Comfortable  planta^on  wch  henceforth  shall  be  Called  Groaten  formerly 
knowne  by  the  name  of  Petapavvage  :  that  M^  Damforth  of  Cambridge 
wth  such  as  he  shall  Asossiate  to  him  shall  and  hereby  is  desired  to  lay 
it  out  wi'h  all  Convenjent  speede  that  so  no  Incouragement  may  be 
wanting  to  the  Peticone's  for  a  speedy  procuring  of  a  godly  minister 
amongst  them.     Provided  that  none  shall  enjoy  any  part  or  por^on  of  ^ 
that  land  by  guift  from  the  selectmen  of  that  place  but  such  who  shall 
build  bowses  on  theire  lotts  so  given  them  once  wthin  eighteene  months 
from  the  tjme  of  the  sayd  Townes  laying  out  or  Townes  graunt  to  such 
persons ;  and  for  the  p'sent  M^  Deane  Winthrop  M--  Jno  Tinker  M'Tho  : 
Hinckly  Dolor  Davis.  W™.  Martin  Mathew  ffarington  John  Witt  and 
Timothy  Couper  are  Appointed  the  selectmen  for  the  sayd  Towne  of 
Groaten  for  one  two  yeares  from  the  tjme  it  is  layd  out,  to  lay  out 
and  dispose  cf  particular  lotts  not  exceeding  twenty  acres  to  each  bowse 
lott,  And  to  Order  the  prudential!  affairs  of  the  place  at  the  end  of  which 
tjme  other  selectmen  shall  be  chosen  and  Appointed  in  theire  roomes : 
the  selectmen  of  Groaton  giving  Mr  Danforth  such  sattisfaction  for  his 
service  &  paines  as  they  &  he  shall  Agree  ; 

"  The  magist^  haue  passed  this  w*h  reference  to  the  Consent  of  theire 

bretheren  the  depu's  hereto 

"  Edward  Eawson,  Secrety 
"  25  of  May  1655. 

"The  Deputies  Consent  hereto 

"  William  Toerey  Cleric.'*'' 

The  entry  made  by  Secretary  Rawson  in  the  Gen- 
eral Court  Records,  at  the  time  of  the  grant,  is  sub- 
stantially the  same  as  his  indorsement  on  Martin's 
petition,  though  it  distinguishes  between  some  of  the 
names  signed  to  each  petition.  It  is  evident  that  the 
one  headed  by  Deane  Winthrop  was  also  signed  by 
John  Tinker  and  Thomas  Hinckley ;  and  probably 
by  Dolor  Davis,  Richard  Smith  and  Amos  Richard- 
son, as  is  inferred  from  a  petition  dated  May  16, 
1656,  and  given  later  in  this  account  of  the  town. 
The  Roman  letters  and  Arabic  figures  within  paren- 
theses refer  to  the  volume  and  page  of  the  General 


6  GROTON. 

Court  Records  at  the  State-House.     The  entry  is  as 
follows : 

"In  Ansr  to  the  peticon  of  M'  Deane  Winthrop  M^  Jn"  Tincker  Mr 
Tho:  Hinckly  &c  &  of  Lieu  Wm  Martin  Timothy  Cooper  &c  The  Court 
Judgeth  it  meete  to  Graunt  etc."  (IV.  204). 

Charles  Hastings  Gerrish,  of  Groton,  has  a  contem- 
poraneous copy  of  this  record  made  by  Secretary 
Rawson,  which  was  perhaps  sent  originally  to  the 
selectmen  of  the  town.  It  was  found  among  the  pa- 
pers of  the  late  Hon.  John  Boynton,  at  one  time  town 
clerk. 

The  record  of  the  House  of  Deputies  is  also  prac- 
tically the  same,  though  there  are  a  few  verbal  vari- 
ations.    It  begins  : 

"There  heinge  a  pet.  p^ferd  by  M'  Dean  Winthrop  M-"  Tho:  Hinck- 
ley &  divers  others  for  a  plantation  vpou  the  riuer  that  Runs  from  Nash- 
away  into  Merimacke  called  petapawage  &  an  other  from  some  of  the 
Inhabitants  of  Concord  for  a  plantation  in  the  same  place  to  both  which 
the  Court  returned  this  answer  that  the  Court  Thinkes  meet  to  graunt 
etc."  (III.  462). 

The  following  letter  from  the  Hon.  J.  Hammond 
Trumbull,  whose  authority  in  such  matters  is  unques- 
tioned, gives  the  meaning  and  derivation  of  the  In- 
dian name  of  the  town  : 

"  Hartford,  Dec.  22,  1877. 

"  Mt  dear  Dr.  Green, — Petaiipaulet  and  Petapaicage  are  two  forms 
of  the  same  name,  the  former  having  the  locative  postposition  {-et}, 
meaning  '  at '  or  '  on  '  a  place  ;  and  both  are  corruptions  of  one  or  the 
other  of  two  Indian  names  found  at  several  localities  in  New  England. 
From  which  of  the  t%vo  your  Groton  name  came  I  cannot  decide  without 
some  knowledge  of  the  place  itself.  I  leave  you  the  choice,  confident 
that  one  or  the  other  is  the  true  name. 

*■"■  Pooluppog,'  used  by  Eliot  for  '  baj-,'  in  Joshua  xv.  2,  5,  literally 
means 'spreading'  or  ^bulging  water,' and  was  employed  to  designate 
either  a  local  widening  of  a  river  making  still  water,  or  an  inlet  from  a 
river  expanding  into  something  like  a  pond  or  lake.     Hence  the  name 


GROTON.  7 

of  a  part  of  (old)  Saybrook,  now  Essex,  Conn.,  which  was  variously  writ- 
ten PatUapaug,  Poattapoge,  Potabauge,  and,  later,  Peltipaug,  &c.,  so  des- 
ignated from  a  spreading  cove  or  inlet  from  Connecticut  River.  Potta- 
jjoMgr  Pond,  in  Dana,  Mass.,  with  an  outlet  to,  or  rather  an  inlet  from 
Chicopee  River,  is  probably  a  form  of  the  same  name.  So  is  '  Port  To- 
bacco,' Charles  County,  Md.  (the  "-Potopaco  '  of  John  Smith's  map),  on 
the  Potomac. 

"  But  there  is  another  Algonkin  name  from  which  Pelaupauk  and 
some  similar  forms  may  have  come,  which  denotes  a  swamp,  bo^,  or 
quagmire, — literally,  a  place  into  ivhich  the  foot  sinks;  represented  by  the 
Chippeway^e<o6e<7,  a  bog  or  soft  marsh,  and  the  AhnsLki  potepaug.  There 
is  a  Pautipaug  (otherw  se  Pootapaug,  Portipaug,  Patapogue,  etc.)  in  the 
town  of  Sprague,  Conn.,  on  or  near  the  Shetucket  River,  which  seems 
to  have  this  derivation. 

"If  there  was  in  (ancient)  Groton  a  pond  or  spreading  cove,  connected 
with  the  Nashua,  Squannacook,  Nissitisset,  or  other  stream,  or  a  pond- 
like enlargement  or  '  bulge '  of  a  stream,  this  may,  without  much  doubt, 
be  accepted  as  the  origin  of  the  name.  If  there  is  none  such,  the  name 
probably  came  from  some  '  watery  swamp,'  like  those  into  which  (as  the 
'Wonder-working  Providence'  relates)  the  first  explorers  of  Concord 
'  sunke,  into  an  uncertaine  bottome  in  water,  and  waded  up  to  their 
knees.' 

"  Tours  truly, 

"  J.  Hammond  Trumbull." 

The  last  suggestion,  that  the  name  came  from  an 
Algonkin  word  signifying  "  swamp  "  or  "bog,"  ap- 
pears to  be  the  correct  one.  There  are  many  bog 
meadows,  of  greater  or  less  extent,  in  different  parts 
of  the  town.  Two  of  the  largest — one  situated  on 
the  easterly  side  of  the  village,  and  known  as  Half- 
Moon  Meadow,  and  the  other  on  the  westerly  side, 
and  known  as  Broad  Meadow,  each  containing  per- 
haps a  hundred  acres  of  land — are  now  in  a  state  of 
successful  cultivation.  Before  they  were  drained  and 
improved  they  would  have  been  best  described  as 
swamps  or  bogs. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  so  many  of  the  Indian 
words,  which  haVe  a  local  significance  and  smack  of 


8  GROTON. 

the  region,  should  have  been  crowded  out  of  the  list 
of  geographical  names  in  Massachusetts.  However 
much  such  words  may  have  been  twisted  and  distort- 
ed by  English  pronunciation  and  misapplication, 
they  furnish  now  one  of  the  few  links  that  connect 
the  present  period  with  prehistoric  times  in  America. 
*'  Nashaway,"  mentioned  in  the  petition,  is  the  old 
name  of  Lancaster,  though  spelled  in  different  ways. 
Mr.  Trumbull  has  given  some  interesting  facts  in  re- 
gard to  this  Indian  word,  which  I  copy  from  a  paper 
by  him  in  the  second  volume  of  the  ''  Collections  of 
the  Connecticut  Historical  Society :  " 

"  Nashaue  (Chip[pewa],  ndssawaii  and  ashaii-iwi),  'mid-way,'  or 
'between,'  and  with  o/ii:e  or  iinfc  added,  the  '  Itind  between  '  or  'the 
half-way  place,' — was  the  name  of  several  localities.  The  tract  on 
which  Lancaster,  in  Worcester  county  (Mass.)  was  settled,  was  '  be- 
tween' the  branches  of  the  river,  and  so  it  was  called  '  Kashaioay  ' 
or  '  NashawaJce  '  {nashaue-ohJce)  ;  and  this  name  was  afterwards  trans- 
ferred from  the  territory  to  the  river  itself.  There  was  another  Nasha- 
way in  Connecticut,  between  Quinebaug  and  Five-Mile  Rivers  in 
Windham  county,  and  here,  too,  the  mutilated  name  of  the  nashaue-ohke 
was  transferred,  as  Ashaicog  or  Assairog,  to  the  Five-Mile  River.  Nat- 
chaug,  in  the  same  county,  the  name  of  the  eastern  branch  of  Shetuck- 
et  river,  belonged  originally  to  the  tract  '  between  '  the  eastern  and 
western  branches ;  and  the  Shetucket  itself  borrows  a  name  [nashaue- 
Ittk-ut)  from  its  place  *  between '  Yantic  and  Quinebaug  rivers 
(page  33)." 

The  town  is  indebted  for  its  name  to  Deane  Win- 
throp,  a  son  of  Governor  John  Winthrop  and  one  of 
the  petitioners  for  the  grant.  He  was  born  at  Gro- 
ton,  in  the  county  of  Suffolk,  England,  on  March  16, 
1622-23 ;  and  the  love  of  his  native  place  prompted 
him  to  perpetuate  its  name  in  New  England.  He 
stands  at  the  head  of  the  first  list  of  selectmen  ap- 
pointed by  the  General  Court,  and  for  a  short  time 


GROTON.  9 

was  probably  a  resident  of  the  town.  At  the  age  of 
exactly  eighty-one  years  he  died,  on  March  16, 1703-04, 
at  Pullen  Point,  now  within  the  limits  of  Winthrop, 
Massachusetts. 

The  following  letter,  written  by  a  distinguished 
representative  of  the  family,  will  be  read  with  in- 
terest : 

"  Boston,  27  February,  1878. 

"  My  dear  Dr.  Green, — It  would  give  me  real  pleasure  to  aid  you  in 
establishing  the  relations  of  Deanti  Winthrop  to  the  town  of  Gro- 
ton  in  Massachusetts.  But  there  are  only  three  or  four  letters  of 
Deane's  among  the  family  papers  in  my  possession,  and  not  one  of 
them  is  dated  Groton.  Nor  can  I  find  in  any  of  the  family  papers  a 
distinct  reference  to  his  residence  there. 

"  There  are,  however,  two  brief  notes  of  his,  both  dated  'the  16  of 
December,  1662,'  which  I  cannot  help  thinking  may  have  been  writ- 
ten at  Groton.  One  of  them  is  addressed  to  his  brother  John,  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Connecticut,  who  was  then  in  London,  on  business  connected 
with  the  Charter  of  Connecticut.  In  this  note,  Deane  says  as  fol- 
lows: 

"  '  I  have  some  thoughts  of  removing  from  the  place  that  I  now  live 
in,  into  your  Colony,  if  I  could  lit  of  a  convenient  place.  The  place 
that  I  now  live  in  is  too  little  for  me,  my  children  now  growing  up.' 
'  "We  know  that  Deane  Winthrop  was  at  the  head  of  the  first  Board  of 
Selectmen  at  Groton  a  few  years  earlier,  and  that  he  went  to  reside  of 
Pullen  Point,  now  called  Winthrop,  not  many  years  after. 

"I  am  strongly  inclined  to  think  with  you  that  this  note  of  December, 
1662,  was  written  at  Groton. 

"  Yours  very  truly, 

"  Robert  C.  Winthrop. 

"  Samuel  A.  Green,  M.D." 

A  few  years  before  the  incorporation  of  the  town, 
Emanuel  Downing,  of  Salem,  who  married  Lucy,  a 
sister  of  Governor  John  Winthrop,  had  a  very  large 
farm  which  he  called  Groton.  It  was  situaited  in 
what  was  afterward  South  Danvers,  but  now  Peabody, 
on  the  old  road  leading  from  Lynn  to  Ipswich,  and 
thus  named,  says  Upham,  in  his  "Salem  Witchcraft," 


10  GROTON. 

"  in  dear  remembrance  of  his  wife's  ancestral  home  in 
'the  old  country'"  (I.  43).  Downing  subsequently 
sold  it  to  his  nephews,  John  AVinthrop,  Jr.,  and  Adam 
Winthrop,  on  July  23,  1644,  when  he  speaks  of  it  as 
"  his  farme  of  Groton."  The  sale  is  duly  recorded  in 
the  Suffolk  Eegistry  of  Deeds  (I.  57). 

Groton  in  Connecticut — younger  than  this  town  by 
just  half  a  century,  and  during  the  Revolution  the 
scene  of  the  heroic  Ledyard's  death — was  named  in 
the  year  1705,  during  the  Governorship  of  Fitz-John 
Winthrop,  out  of  respect  to  the  Suffolk  home  of  the 
family. 

New  Hampshire  has  a  Groton,  in  Grafton  County, 
which  was  called  Cockermouth  when  first  settled  in 
the  year  1766.  Subsequently,  however,  the  name  was 
changed  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  in  accordance 
with  the  unanimous  wish  of  the  inhabitants  who  ap- 
proved it,  on  December  7,  1796.  Some  of  its  early 
settlers  were  from  Hollis,  New  Hampshire,  and  others 
from  this  town. 

Vermont,  also,  has  a  Groton;  in  Caledonia  County, 
which  received  its  charter  on  October  20, 1789,  though 
it  was  settled  a  short  time  before.  A  history  of  the 
town,  written  by  General  Albert  Harleigh  Hill,  ap- 
peared in  Miss  Abby  Maria  Hemenway's  "  Vermont 
Historical  Gazeteer"  (IV.  1145-1168).  Taken  bodily 
from  this  work,  a  pamphlet  edition  was  also  pub- 
lished, with  some  slight  variations,  but  with  the  same 
paging.     The  author  says : 

'•  It  received  the  name  of  Groton  through  the  influence  of  its  earliest 
settlers,  who  vere  born  in  Groton,  Mass.  These  sterling  old  patriots 
who,  mid  all  the  stirring  activity  of  those  days,  forgot  not  the  old 
birthtown,  but  hallowed  its  memory  by  giving  its  name  to  their  new 
settlement  and  town  in  the  wilderness"  (page  1145). 


GROTON.  1 1 

New  York,  too,  has  a  town  called  Groton,  situated 
in  Tompkins  County ;  and  Professor  Marvin  Morse 
Baldwin,  in  an  historical  sketch  of  the  place,  pub- 
lished in  the  year  1858,  gives  the  reason  for  so  nam- 
ing it.     He  says : 

"  At  first,  the  part  of  Locke  ttrtis  set  off  was  called  Division  ;  but  the 
next  year  [1818]  it  was  changed  to  Groton,  on  the  petition  of  the  in- 
habitants of  the  town,  some  of  whom  had  moved  from  Groton,  Mass., 
and  some  from  Groton,  Ct.,  though  a  few  desired  the  name  of  York  " 
(page  8). 

There  is  also  a  Groton  in  Erie  County,  Ohio.  It  is  sit- 
uated in  that  part  of  the  State  known  as  the  fire  lands, 
and  so  called  after  the  Connecticut  town.  The  name 
was  originally  Wheatsborough,  and  its  first  settlement 
was  made  in  the  year  1809. 

The  latest  place  aspiring  to  the  honor  of  the  name 
is  in  Brown  County,  South  Dakota,  which  was  laid 
out  six  or  eight  years  ago  on  land  owned  by  the  Chi- 
cago, Milwaukee  and  St,  Paul  Railway  Company.  I 
am  informed  that  various  New  England  names  were 
selected  by  the  company  and  given  to  different  town- 
ships, not  for  personal  or  individual  reasons,  but  be- 
cause they  were  short  and  well  sounding,  and  unlike 
any  others  in  that  Scate. 

In  the  middle  of  the  last  century — according  to  the 
New  England  Historical  and  Genealogical  Register 
(XXIV.  56  note,  and  60)  for  January,  1870— there 
was  a  place  in  Roxbury  sometimes  called  Groton. 
It  was  a  corruption  of  Greaton,  the  name  oi  the  man 
who  kept  the  "  Grey  Hound  "  tavern  in  that  neigh- 
borhood. 

Groton,  in  England,  is  an  ancient  place ;  it  is  the 
same  as  the  Grotena  of  Domesday  Book,  in  which 


1 2  GROTON. 

there  is  a  record  of  the  population  and  wealth  of  the 
town,  in  some  detail,  at  the  time  of  William  the  Con- 
queror, and  also  before  him,  under  the  Anglo-Saxon 
King,  Edward  the  Confessor.  A  literal  translation  of 
this  census-return  of  the  year  1086  is  as  follows : 

"  In  the  time  of  King  Edward  [the  Abbot  of]  Saint  Edmund  held  Gro- 
ton  for  a  manor,  there  being  one  carucate  and- a  half  of  land.  Always 
[there  have  been]  eight  villeins  and  five  bordarii  [a  rather  higher  sort 
of  serfs  ;  cotters].  Alwaj's  [there  has  been]  one  plouugh  in  demesne.  Al- 
ways two  ploughs  belonging  to  homagers  [tenants],  and  one  acre  of  mead- 
ow. Woodland  for  ten  hogs.  A  mill  serviceable  in  winter.  Always 
one  work-horse,  six  cattle,  and  sixteen  hogs,  and  thirty  sheep.  Two  free 
men  of  half  a  carucate  of  land,  and  they  could  give  away  and  sell  their 
land.  Six  bordarii.  Always  one  plough,  and  one  acre  of  meadow  [belong- 
ing to  these  bordarii].  It  was  then  \i.  e.,  under  King  Edward]  worth 
thirty  shillings,  and  now  valued  at  forty.  It  is  seven  furlongs  in  length 
and  four  in  breadth.  In  the  same,  twelve  free  men,  and  they  have  one 
carucate  ;  it  is  worth  twenty  shillings.  These  men  could  give  away  and 
sell  their  land  in  the  time  of  the  reign  of  King  Edward.  [The  Abbot 
of]  Saint  Edmund  has  the  soc,  protection  and  servitude.  Its  gelt  is 
esven  pence,  but  others  hold  there." 

This  extract  is  taken  from  the  fac-simile  repro- 
duction of  the  part  of  Domesday  Book  relating  to 
Suffolk  (page  clyiii),  which  was  published  at  the 
Ordnance  Survey  Office,  Southampton,  in  the  year 
1863.  The  text  is  in  Latin,  and  the  words  are  much 
abbreviated.  The  writing  is  peculiar  and  hard  to  de- 
cipher. The  same  entry  is  found,  in  printed  char- 
acters, in  the  second  volume  of  Domesday  Book 
(page  359.  b.),  published  in  the  year  1783. 

Some  idea  of  the  condensed  character  of  the  record 
may  be  gathered  from  the  following  copy  of  the 
beginning  of  the  description  of  Groton,  in  which  the 
matter  within  the  brackets  is  what  the  Norman 
scrivener  omitted  :  "  Grotena.  [m]  t.[empore]  r.[egis] 


GROTON.  13 

e.fdvardi]  ten[uit]  S.[anctus]  e.[dmundus]  p[ro] 
man.[erio]  "  etc.  A  carucate  was  "  a  plough  land," 
or  a  farm  that  could  be  kept  under  tillage  with  one 
plough.  It  is  variously  estimated  at  from  twelve 
acres  to  a  hundred. 

It  is  curious  to  note  the  different  ways  which  the 
early  settlers  had  of  spelling  the  name;  and  the  same 
persons  took  little  or  no  care  to  write  it  uniformly. 
Among  the  documents  and  papers  that  I  have  ex- 
amined in  collecting  material  for  a  history  of  the 
town,  I  find  it  spelled  in  twenty-one  different  ways, 
viz  :  Groton,  Grotton,  Groten,  Grotten,  Grotin,  Groa- 
ten,  Groatne,  Groaton,  Groatton,  Grooton,  Grorton, 
Grouten,  Grouton,  Groughton,  Growton,  Growtin, 
Groyton,  Grauton,  Grawten,  Grawton  and  Croaton. 
From  the  old  spelling  of  the  word,  it  may  be  inferred 
that  the  pronunciation  varied ;  but  at  the  present 
time  natives  of  the  town  and  those  "  to  the  manner 
born  "  pronounce  it  Grdw-ton.  This  method  appears 
to  hold  good  in  England,  as  the  Reverend  John  W.. 
Wayman,  rector  of  the  parent  town,  writes  me,  under 
date  of  August  13,  1879,  "That  the  local  pro- 
nunciation is  decidedly  Graw-ton.  The  name  of  the 
parish  is  described  in  old  records  as  Grotton,  or 
Growton."  I  learn  from  trustworthy  correspondents 
in  all  the  American  towns  of  the  name,  that  the 
common  pronunciation  of  the  word  in  each  one  of 
them  is  Grdw-ton.  With  the  exception  of  the  town 
in  South  Dakota,  I  have  visited  all  these  places,  in- 
cluding the  one  in  England,  and  my  observation  con- 
firms the  statement. 

The  following  paragraph  is  taken  from  the    Gro- 


14  GROTON. 

ton  Mermry,  of  June,  1861,  a  monthly  newspaper 
edited  by  the  late  George  Henry  Brown,  postmaster 
at  that  time  : 

"iWe  have  noticed  amongst  the  mass  of  letters  received  at  our  Post 
Office,  the  wordGROTON  spelled  in  the  following  different  ways:  Grot- 
ton,  Grawton,  Graton,  Grotown,  Groutown,  Growtown,  Growtan,  Grow- 
ten,  Growton,  Gratan,  Grattan,  Grewton,  Grothan,  Graten,  Groten, 
Grouton." 

The  daily  life  of  the  founders  of  Massachusetts 
would  be  to  us  now  full  of  interest,  but  unfortunately 
little  is  known  in  regard  to  it.  The  early  settlers  were 
pious  folk,  and  believed  in  the  literal  interpretation 
of  the  Scriptures.  They  worked  hard  during  six  days 
of  the  week,  and  kept  Sunday  with  rigid  exactness. 
The  clearing  of  forests  and  the  breaking  up  of  land 
left  little  leisure  for  the  use  of  pen  and  paper ;  and 
letter-writing,  as  we  understand  it,  was  not  generally 
practiced.  They  lived  at  a  time  when  printing  was 
not  common  and  post-offices  were  unknown.  Their 
lives  were  one  ceaseless  struggle  for  existence ;  and 
there  was  no  time  or  opportunity  to  cultivate  those 
graces  now  considered  so  essential.  Religion  was 
with  them  a  living,  ever-present  power ;  and  in  that 
channel  went  out  all  those  energies  which  with  us 
find  outlet  in  many  different  directions.  These  con- 
siderations should  modify  the  opinions  commonly  held 
in  regard  to  the  Puritan  fathers. 

The  sources  of  information  relating  to  the  early 
history  of  Groton  are  few  and  scanty.  It  is  only  here 
and  there  in  contemporaneous  papers  that  we  find 
any  allusions  to  the  plantation  ;  and  from  these  we 
obtain  but  glimpses  of  the  new  settlement.  The 
earliest  document  connected  with  the  town  after  its 


GROTON.  1 5 

incorporation  is  a  petition  now  among  the  Shattuck 
Manuscripts,  in  the  possession  of  the  New  England 
Historic  Genealogical  Society,  which  contains  some 
interesting  facts  not  elsewhere  given.  All  the  signa- 
tures are  in  the  same  handwriting  as  the  body  of  the 
document;  but  those  of  the  committee  signing  there- 
port  on  the  back  of  the  petition  are  autographs.  The 
report  itself  is  in  the  hand  of  Joseph  Hills.  The  doc- 
ument is  as  follows : 

"Bost':  16  :  3  mo  :  1G5G 

"To  the  Eight  Wo"""  the  Gournoi  the  wo/il  Deput  Gorno""  and  Magis- 
trates with  the  Worthy  Deputies  of  this  Hono'"'!  Court 

"  The  humble  Peticon  of  Certein  the  intended  Inhabitants  of  Groten, 

"  Humbly  Sheweth 

"Thatyor  PeticoDfs  hauing  obteined  theire  Bequest  of  a  Plantacon 
from  this  honored  Court,  they  haue  made  Entrauc  thervppon,  and  do 
Resohie  by  the  Gracious  Assistants  of  the  Lord  to  proceed  in  the  same 
(though  the  greatest  Number  of  Peticon"  for  the  Grant  haue  declyned 
the  work)  yet  because  of  the  Remoteness  of  the  place,  &  Considering 
how  heavy  and  slowe  it  is  like  to  be  Carried  an  end  and  with  what 
Charge  and  difHcultie  it  will  be  Attended  yo^  Peticon"  humble  Requests 
are 

"  1  That  they  be  not  nominated  or  included  in  the  Country  taxes 
vntil  the  full  end  of  three  years  from  these  p,rnts :  (in  which  time  they 
Account  theire  expenc  will  be  great  to  the  building  a  house,  procureing 
and  maintaining  of  a  minester  &c,  with  all  other  nessessary  Town 
Charges;  they  being  but  few  at  present  left  to  Carry  on  the  whole 
worke)  and  at  the  end  of  the  term,  shall  be  redy  by  gods  help  to  yeald 
their  Rates  according  to  thei'  Number  &  abillitie  &  what  shall  be  im- 
posed, vppon  them 

"2  That  they  may  haue  libertie  to  make  Choyce  of  an  other  then  M^ 
Danford  for  the  Laying  out  their  town  bounds  because  of  his  desire  to 
be  excused  by  reason  of  his  vrgent  ocations  otherwise,  &  that  they  be 
not  strictly  tyed  to  a  square  forme  in  their  Line  Laying  out 

"So  shall  yor  Peticon.'-s  be  incoridgedin  this  great  work,  and  shall  as, 
duty  bindes  pray  for  yo""  happiness  and  thankfully  Rest 

yor  humble  Servants 
"  Dean  Winthropp         Jno.  Tinker 
Dolor  Davis  Richard  Smith        Jn*.  Lakin 

Will.  Martin  Robert  Blood  Amose  Richenson 


16  GROTON. 

"In  Ans.  to  this  Peticon  wee  Conceiue  it  needful!  that  the  Town  of 
Groton  be  freed  from  Uates  for  three  years  from  the  time  of  their  Grant 
as  is  desired. 

"2<i  That  they  may  Imploy  any  other  known  Artist  in  the  room  of 
Mr  Daufort  as  need  shall  be. 

"3*  That  the  forme  of  the  Towne  may  A  little  varie  from  A  due 
Square  According  to  the  discrecon  of  the  Comitte. 

"21.  S^mo.  (56)  "Daniel  Gookin 

Joseph  Hills 

JOHX  WiSWALL 

"  The  Deputyes  approue  of  the  returne  of  the  Comittee  in  answer 
to  this  petitio  &  desire  the  Consent  of  o"'  honei^<i  magists.  hereto 

'•  William  Torbev  Gierke 
"  Consented  to  by  the  magists 

"  Edward  Kawson  Secret 
"[Indorsed  for  filing  :]    Grotens  Peticon  |  Entrd  &  x^ secured  p-i  8  | 
1656" 

The  next  document,  in  point  of  time,  connected 
with  the  history  of  Groton  is  a  petition  to  the  Gen- 
eral Court  from  John  Tinker,  one  of  the  original  se- 
lectmen of  the  town.  It  is  dated  October,  1659,  and 
preserved  among  the  Massachusetts  x4.rchives  (CXII. 
120)  at  the  State-House.  In  this  petition  Tinker 
makes  some  indirect  charges  against  his  townsmen, 
of  which  the  real  nature  can  now  be  learned  only  by 
inference.  It  would  seem  that  they  had  taken  land 
in  an  unauthorized  manner,  and  their  proceedings  in 
other  respects  had  obstructed  the  planting  of  the 
town ;  and  that  he  felt  aggrieved  in  consequence  of 
such  action.  Evidently  the  new  plantation  did  not 
prosper  during  the  first  few  years  of  its  settlement. 
The  petition  reads  thus  : 

'•  Boston        To  the  Hono^d  Gen^u  Court  Assembled  at  Boston 

8  mo  The  humble  Petition  of  Jno  Tinker 

1659  Humbly  Sheweth  that 

"  With  vnfained  Respect  to  the  good  and  welfare  of  Church  and  Com- 
monwealth yof  Petitioner  hath  endeauored  to  answer  the  expectation 


GROTON.  17 

and  desires  of  this  honof'^  Court  and  the  whole  Countrey  In  erecting  set- 
ling  and  Carying  an  End  the  Afaires  of  Groaton,  Granted  and  intended 
by  this  hono^d  Court  for  a  plantation,  which  notwithstanding  (all  in 
vaine)  it  Continueth  vnpeopled  and  soe  Like  to  reniaine  vnless  by  this 
honor"!  Court  some  wise  and  Juditious  Comitte  be  impowered  to  order 
and  dispose  of  all  things  there  about,  after  which  no  doubt  it  will  goeon 
and  prosper,  which  is  the  humble  desire  and  Request  of  yo.^  Petitioner 
that  soe  it  may  be,  and  that  yc  Petitioner  be  admitted  and  appoynted 
faithfully  to  declare  vnto  and  informe  the  said  Comitte,  1  what  hath 
allredy  bin  done,  2  what  are  the  Grounds  and  Reasons  wherefore  it  Re- 
maineth  at  the  stay  it  doeth.  being  so  much  desired  by  so  many  and  such 
Considerable  persons  as  it  is,  and  3  what  hee  Couceuith  needfull  to  the 
further  Confirming  what  is  done  according  to  Right  to  every  person  & 
Cause,  and  the  setleing  such  due  order  as  may  incoiidg  the  Carying  on 
of  all  things  to  a  prosperous  effect,  vnto  which  yo""  Petitioner  shall  redylj' 
adress  himselfe,  as  willing  to  submitt  to  the  good  pleasure  of  this  honrii 
Court  &  such  Authorized  by  them  for  such  due  satisfacon  for  all  his 
Care  time  cost  &  paines  in  and  about  the  said  plantation  as  shall  be 
thought  meete  and  humbly  begging  the  good  fauo^  of  god  to  Rest  vppou 
you  shall  ever  Remaine  to  the  honed  Court  and  Country 

"  Yo"-  humble  Serv*  Jno.  Tinker 

"  The  comittee  haveing  prsed  this  peticcon,  do  Judge  y'  it  wilbe  very 
convenient  that,  a  Comittee  of  3  :  or  more  meet  persons  be  nominated 
&  impowred  to  Examine  the  ptieulars  therein  mencconed.  and  make 
returne  of  w*  they  find  to  the  Court  of  Eleccon, 

"  Thomas  Danforth 
Anthont  Stoddard 
Roger  Clap 
"  21.  (8)  59.    The  Depu'  approue  of  the  ret.  of  ye  Comitee  in  answ  : 
hereto  &  haue   Nominated  Mf  Danforth  M^  Ephraim  Child  Cap'.  Edw  : 
Johnson  to  be  their  Committee  desireing  o^  Honord  magists  [consent] 
hereto 

"  William  Torrey  Cleric. 
"  Consented  to  by  y*  magists  Edw  Rawson  Secrety  " 

It  appears  from  the  writing  on  it  that  Tinker's  peti- 
tion was  referred  to  a  special  committee,  who  recom- 
mended that  the  whole  matter  be  considered  by 
another  committee  with  larger  powers,  who  should 
report  to  the  Court  of  Election.     In  accordance  with 

2 


18  GROTON. 

this  recommendation,  Mr.  Thomas  Danforth,  Captain 
Edward  Johnson  and  Ephraim  Child  were  appointed 
such  a  committee.  I  have  here  given  their  names 
in  the  order  in  which  they  are  mentioned  in  the 
General  Court  Records  (IV.  324),  and  not  as  they 
appear  in  the  approval  of  the  committee's  return  on 
the  petition.  The  original  report,  made  eighteen 
months  afterwards  and  duly  signed  by  them,  is 
now  among  the  Shattuck  Manuscripts  of  the  New 
England  Historic  Genealogical  Society.  It  is  dated 
May  23,  1661  ("23  (3)  1661"),  and  bears  the  official 
action  of  the  Hou?e  of  Deputies  and  of  the  magis- 
trates. Edward  Rawson,  the  secretary,  made  his 
entry  on  the  paper  May  29,  1661.  In  copying  the 
document  I  have  followed  the  General  Court  Records, 
as  this  version  of  the  petition  contains  fewer  abbre- 
viations and  contractions.  The  record-book  has  been 
paged  differently  at  three  separate  times ;  and  the 
paging  marked  in  red  ink  has  been  taken  in  this 
copy.  The  "Committees  Returne  ab^  Groaten  & 
Courts  ordr  "  are  as  follows  : 

"  Wee  whose  names  are  subscribed  being  Appointed  &  impowrd  by 
the  Generall  Court  in  octobe^  1659  for  the  examination  of  the  proceed- 
ings about  Groten  plantation  &  the  Intanglemeuts  that  haue  obstructed 
the  planting  thereof  hitherto=hauing  taking  pajnes  to  travajle  vnto  the 
sajd  place  &  examine  the  Records  of  forme''  proceedings  in  that  plase  as 
also  the  Capacity  of  the  s^  place  for  the  enterteining  of  a  meet  noumber 
of  persons  that  may  Carry  on  the  affairs  of  a  Toune,  doe  App^hend  (ac- 
cording to  w'  Information  we  haue  had)  that  the  place  will  Affoord  a 
comfortable  accommodation  for  sixty  familjes  at  least  that  may  subsist  in  a 
way  of  husbandry=And  for  such  familyes  as  be  there  already  planted  wh 
are  not  aboue  four  or  five  acres^  wee  doe  not  finde  theire  Interest  in  such 

1  The  word  "acres"  occurs  at  the  end  of  aline  in  the  manuscript 

records,  and  appears  to  be  an  interpolation.     The  sense  does  not  require 


GROTON.  19 

lands  as  they  claime  is  legall  &  Just  nor  yet  consistant  wti»  the  Courts 
ends  in  their  graunt  of  the  sajd  plantation. 

"  And  for  the  further  encouragement  of  such  as  haue  now  a  desire 
&c  doe  present  themselvs  as  willing  to  plant  themselves  in  that 
place, 

"  Wee  craue  leaue  humbly  to  leaue  our  poore  app^hentions  w'^  this 
Honored  Court  as  followeth 

"  1  That  the  old  planters  &  their  Assignes  whose  names  are  John 
Tincker  Eich  :  Smith.  W^  Martjn.  Ri:  blood  Rob*  Blood  &  Jno  Lakin 
that  they  reteine  &  keep  as  theire  propriety,  (of  such  lands  as  they  now 
clajme  an  Interest  in)  each  of  them  only  twenty  acres  of  meadow  twenty 
acres  for  the  house  lott  ten  acres  Intervale  land  &  tenn  acres  of  other 
vplands  &  that  the  same  be  sett  out  by  a  Comittee  so  as  may  not  vn- 
equally  prejudice  such  as  are  or  maybe  their  Neighbo" 

"  2  That  the  neere  lands  &  meadows,  be  so  diuided  as  may  accomodate 
at  least  sixty  familjes  &  for  that  end  That  the  first  diuision  of  lands  be 
made  in  manner  following  viz*  such  as  haue  one  hundred  &  fifty  pounds 
estate  be  allowed  equall  wth  the  old  planters  aboue  &  that  none  exceed 
&  that  none  haue  lesse  then  tenn  acres  for  theire  houselott  &  five  acres  of 
meadow  two  &  a  halfe  acres  of  Intervale  &  two  &  a  half  of  other  lands 
for  planting  lotts  in  their  first  divission  &  that  none  be  admitted  to  haue 
graunts  of  lotts  there  but  on  Condition^  following  viz* 

"1  That  they  Goe  vp.  w">  theire  familjes  wt^in  2  years  after  theire 
graunts,  on  penalty  of  forfeiting  theire  graunts  againe  to  the  Towne  & 
so  many  tenn  shillings  as  they  had  acres  Graunted  them  for  theire 
houselotts  &  that  the  like  Injunction  be  putt  vpon  those  aboue  named 
as  old  planters. 

"  2  That  all  towne  charges  both  Civil  &  Eccleasiasticall  be  levyed  ac- 
cording to  each  maris  Graunt  in  this  first  divition  of  lands  for  seuen 
years  next  Ensuing  Excepting  only  such  whose  stocks  of  Catle  shall 
exceed  one  hundred  &  fifty  pounds  estates. 

'*  3  That  the  power  of  Admission  of  Inhabitants  &  Regulating  the  af- 
faires of  the  sajd  place  be  referred  to  a  Comittee  of  meete  persons  Im- 
powred  by  this  Court  thereto,  Vntil  the  plantation  be  in  some  good  meas- 
ure (at  least)  filled  w'^^  Inhabitants  &  be  enabled  regularly  &  peaceably 
to  Carry  on  y*  same  themselves 

"  4  That  this  honoured  Court  be  pleased  to  graunt  them  Imunitjes 
[from]  all  Comon  &  Ordinary  Country  charges  not  exceeding  a  single 
rate  or  a  Rate  &  a  half  p  Annu  for  three  years  next  ensuing. 

it,  and  the  original  copy  in  the  library  of  the  New-England  Historic, 
Genealogical  Society  does  not  contain  it,  though  the  printed  edition  of 
the  General  Court  Records  gives  it. 


20  GROTON. 

"5  That  in  Graunting  of  lotts  children  haue  theire  due  Considei-ation 

■wti>  estates  theire  parents  giving  securitje  to  defray  yf  charges  of  the 

place  as  is  before  p^mised. 

"  Tho  Danfoeth 

Edward  Johnson 
Ephr.  Child 

•'  The  Court  Approoves  of  &:  doe  Coufirme  the  returne  of  the  Comittee 
&  doe  hereby  further  ordc  &  Impower  the  aforesajd  Comittee  for  the 
ends  aboue  mentioned  vntill  meete  men  shall  be  found  amongst  such  as 
shall  Inhabit  there  &  be  approoved  of  by  a  County  Court " 

(General  Court  Records,  lY,  371.) 

The  next  document,  in  point  of  time,  found  among 
the  Archives  (I.  21)  at  the  State  House  and  relating 
to  Groton,  is  the  following  request  for  a  brandmark, 
which  was  wanted  probably  for  marking  cattle 

"The  Humble  Request  of  Joseph  Parker  to  the  Honoured  Governor 
the  Honourd  magistrates  &  deputyes,  Humbly  Requests  in  behalfe  of 
the  towne  of  Grawton  that  the  letter  Gr  may  bee  Recorded  as  the  brand 
mark  belonging  to  the  towne  I  being  chosen  Counstible  this  j-ear  make 
bolde  to  present  this,  to  the  Honoured  Court  it  being  but  my  duty,  in  the 
townes  behalfe  thus  Hopeing  the  Honored  Court  will  grant  my  request 
I  rest  yo'  Humble  Servant  : 

"  Joseph  Parker 
"Boston  :  31t»>  :  may  :  1666 

"  In  answer  to  this  motion  the  Deputies  approue  of  the  letters  :  Gr 
to  be  ye  brand  marke  of  groaten 

"  William  Torrey  Cleric. 
"  o^  Hono.'*!  magists  consentinge  hereto 
"  Consented  by  the  magists 

"  Edw  :  Rawsox  Secrety''' 

Joseph  Parker,  before  coming  to  Groton,  had  lived 
at  Chelmsford,  where  his  children  were  born.  He 
was  a  brother  of  James,  another  of  the  early  settlers 
of  the  town. 

During  this  period  the  town  was  paying  some  at- 
tention to  the  question  of  marks  for  trees  as  well  as 
for  cattle.  At  a  general  meeting  held  on  March  5, 
1G65-66.   it  was  voted  that  "there  should  be  trees 


GEOTON.  21 

marked  for  shade  for  cattell  in  all  common  hy  wayes :  " 
and  furthermore  that  "  the  marke  should  be  a 
great  T."  From  various  expressions  found  in  the 
early  town  records,  it  would  seem  that  the  country 
in  the  neighborhood  was  not  densely  wooded  when 
the  settlement  was  first  made.  At  a  meeting  of  the 
selectmen  held  in  the  winter  of  1669,  an  order  was 
passed  for  the  preservation  of  trees,  but  the  writing 
is  so  torn  that  it  is  impossible  to  copy  it.  At  another 
meeting  held  on  January  13,  1673-74,  it  was  voted 
that  all  trees  of  more  than  six  inches  in  diameter  at 
the  butt,  excepting  walnut  and  pine,  growing  by  the 
wayside,  should  be  reserved  for  public  works,  and 
that  the  penalty  for  cutting  them  down,  without 
authority,  should  be  ten  shillings  a  tree. 

At  a  general  town-meeting  on  December  21, 1674. 
leave  was  granted  to  William  Longley,  Jr.,  to  cut 
down  three  or  four  trees  standing  in  the  road  near  his 
farm  and  shading  his  corn,  on  condition  that  he  give 
to  the  town  the  same  number  of  trees  for  mending  the 
highways. 

The  early  settlers  of  Groton  encountered  many 
trials  and  privations  in  planting  the  town.  The  men 
worked  hard  in  felling  trees  and  breaking  ground, 
and  the  women  toiled  faithfully  in  their  rude  houses. 
They  w^ere  used  to  hardships,  and  they  took  them 
with  Christian  resignation.  Their  daily  life  taught 
them  the  true  principles  of  philosophy.  They  lived 
on  the  rough  edge  of  civilization,  and  nothing  stood 
between  them  and  an  unbroken  wilderness.  These 
pioneers  were  a  devout  people ;  and  the  strength  of 
their  religious  belief  is  shown  in  no  way  so  clearly  as 


22  GROTON. 

in  the  fortitude  with  which  they  met  their  lot  in  life. 
The  prowling  Indians  were  their  neighbors,  whose 
constant  movements  required  careful  watching.  There 
were  families  of  savages  scattered  along  the  interval 
land  of  the  Xashua  valley,  from  Lancaster  to  the 
Merrimack  Eiver,  who  at  times  annoyed  the  settlers 
by  killing  pigs  and  stealing  chickens.  Judging  from  the 
number  of  stone  implements  found  in  the  neighborhood , 
there  was  an  Indian  village  just  above  the  Red  Bridge, 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Xashua  Eiver.  It  probably 
consisted  of  a  few  families  only,  belonging  to  the 
Nashua  tribe,  as  they  were  called  by  the  English. 
Like  all  their  race,  these  Indians  were  a  shiftless  peo- 
ple, and  often  changed  their  abodes,  going  hither  and 
thither  as  they  found  good  hunting-grounds  or  fish- 
ing-places. They  bartered  skins  and  furs  with  the 
planters;  and  so  much  business  was  carried  on  in  this 
way,  that  the  government  sold  to  individuals  the 
right  to  trade  with  them.  As  early  as  July,  1657, 
John  Tinker,  one  of  the  original  selectmen  of  the 
town,  appointed  by  the  General  Court,  paid  eight 
pounds  for  the  privilege  of  trafficking  with  them  at 
Lancaster  and  Groton.  A  few  of  these  natives  knew 
a  little  English,  which  they  had  picked  up  from  con- 
tact with  the  whites.  Gookin  refers  to  them  in  his 
"  History  of  the  Christian  Indians,"  when  he  speaks  of 
"  some  skulking  Indians  of  the  enemy,  that  formerly 
lived  about  Groton,  the  principal  whereof  was  named 
Nathaniel,  he  and  his  party  did  this  and  other  mis- 
chief afterward,  in  burning  several  houses  at  Chelms- 
ford."^    This  Nathaniel  was  taken  subsequently  at 

1  Archseologia  Americana,  II.  471. 


GROTON.  23 

Cocheco  (now  Dover),  New  Hampshire,  and  hanged  in 
Boston.  Some  of  these  vagrants  took  an  active  part 
in  the  burning  of  Groton  during  Philip's  War.  The 
leader  of  the  savages  at  this  assault  was  John 
Monaco  or  Monoco,  nicknamed  "  One-eyed  John," 
from  the  loss  of  an  eye.  After  he  had  taken  by  strat- 
agem a  garrison-house,  he  entered  into  a  long  conver- 
sation with  Captain  Parker,  who  was  stationed  in 
another  house  nearby,  and  called  him  his  old  neigh- 
bor. Fpm  this  fact  I  infer  that  "  One-eyed  John " 
knew  Captain  Parker,  and  had  previously  lived  in  the 
vicinity.  Warfare  among  the  aborigines  did  not 
require  generalship  so  much  as  knowledge  of  places  ; 
and  the  head  of  an  assaulting  party  was  one  familiar 
with  the  clearings  and  the  lay  of  the  land  in  the 
threatened  territory.  During  the  ensuing  autumn 
this  leader  was  brought  to  the  gallows  in  Boston, 
where  he  suffered  the  extreme  penalty  of  the  law. 

The  Indians  soon  acquired  from  the  English  the 
love  of  strong  drink,  which  is  sure  to  lead  to  disputes 
and  quarrels.  The  earliest  documents  at  the  State 
House,  relating  to  Groton  and  the  savages,  give  an 
account  of  a  drunken  brawl  wdiich  ended  in  murder. 
The  affair  took  place  in  the  Merrimack  Valley,  and 
several  men  of  this  town  were  summoned  to  appear 
as  witnesses  at  the  investigation  before  the  General 
Court  in  Boston.  In  the  spring  of  1668  Captain 
Eichard  Waldron  built  a  trucking  or  trading-house 
at  Penacock  (now  Concord),  New  Hampshire,  where  a 
few  weeks  later  one  Thomas  Dickinson  was  murdered 
by  an  Indian  while  under  the  influence  of  liquor. 
The  homicide  created  great  excitement,  and  it  has 


24  .      GROTON. 

been  supposed  to  have  delayed  the  permanent  settle- 
ment of  the  place  for  many  years.  A  warrant  was 
issued  directing  the  constable  of  Groton  to  summon 
John  Page,  Thomas  Tarbell,  Jr.,  Joseph  Blood  and 
Kobert  Parish,  all  of  this  town,  before  the  General 
Court  in  order  to  give  their  testimony,  which  they 
did  under  oath.  It  appeared  by  the  evidence  that 
there  had  been  a  drunken  row,  and  that  Dickinson 
was  killed  by  iui  Indian,  who  acknowledged  the  crime 
and  expressed  great  sorrow  for  it,  but  pleaded  drunken- 
ness in  extenuation  of  the  deed.  The  culprit  was 
tried  at  once  by  a  council  of  the  Indians,  who  sen- 
tenced him  to  be  shot,  which  w^as  done  the  next  day. 
It  is  interesting  now  to  note  the  high  temperance 
stand  taken,  more  than  two  hundred  years  ago,  by  the 
Chief  Tohaunto,  which  places  him  abreast  of  the  most 
earnest  opposers  of  the  rum  traffic  at  the  present 
time. 

During  a  series  of  years  before  Philip's  War  the 
Indians  had  been  supplied  with  arms  and  ammuni- 
tion, though  this  was  contrary  to  the  laws  of  the  Colo- 
nies. The  French  in  Canada  and  the  Dutch  in  New 
York  had  carried  on  considerable  traffic  with  the  na- 
tives in  these  contraband  articles ;  and  occasionally 
some  avaricious  settler  would  barter  with  them,  giv- 
ing powder  and  shot  in  exchange.  The  possession  of 
firearms  made  the  Indians  bold  and  insolent,  and  the 
tendency  of  events  was  toward  open  hostilities. 
This  tendency  was  strengthened  by  a  feeling  of  suspi- 
cion on  the  part  of  the  colonists,  and  by  one  of 
iealousy  on  the  part  of  the  savages.  Distrust  always 
grows  out  of  suspicion,  and  the  fears  of  the  settlers 


GROTON.  25 

began  to  be  excited  when  they  thought  of  their  ex- 
posed situation.  Under  these  circumstances,  it  was 
wise  to  prepare  for  all  emergencies  ;  and  at  an  early- 
day  a  military  company  was  organized  in  this  town. 
The  following  entry  is  made  in  the  manuscript  records 
of  the  General  Court  during  the  session  beginning 
May  6,  1673 : 

"  James  Parker  of  Groaten  haning  had  the  care  of  the  military  Com- 
pany there  for  seuei-all  yeares.  is  Appointed  &  ordered  to  be  their  leiften- 
nant  &  W^  Larkin  to  be  ensigne  to  the  sajd  Company  there."  i  * 

The  two  officers  of  this  organization  were  each  pro- 
moted one  grade  during  the  next  autumn,  which 
would  indicate  that  the  company  was  filling  up  in 
numbers.  At  the  session  of  the  General  Court  begin- 
ning October  15,  1673,  the  record  reads  : 

"  The  military  Company  of  Groaten  being  destitut  of  military  ofcers 
The  Court  Judgeth  it  meet  to  choose  &  Appoint  James  Parker  to  be  their 
captane  W™  Lakin  to  be  leiftennant  &  Nathaniel  Lawrence  to  be  their 
ensigne.3  "' 

Before  this  time  there  had  been  in  Middlesex 
County  a  company  of  troopers,  or  cavalry,  made  up 
of  men  living  in  the  frontier  towns,  of  which  Groton 
was  one — as  mentioned  in  the  General  Court  Eecords 
of  October,  1669. 

One  of  the  prominent  men  in  the  history  of  the 
Colony  at  this  period  was  Major  Simon  Willard.  A 
native  of  England,  he  came  to  Massachusetts  in  the 
year  1634.  He  had  lived  at  Concord,  Lancaster  and 
Groton,  and  in  all  these  places  exerted  a  wide  influ- 
ence.    He  had  filled  various  civil  offices,  and  in  his 

1  (General  Court  Kecords,  IV.  718.) 

2  (General  Court  Records,  IV.  726.) 


26  GROTON. 

day  was  a  noted  military  man.  His  farm  was  sit- 
uated at  Nonacoicus,  now  included  within  the  limits 
of  Ayer ;  and  his  dwelling-house  was  the  first  build- 
ing burned  at  the  attack  on  Groton,  March  13,  1676. 
During  several  months  previously  he  had  been  en- 
gaged with  his  men  in  scouting  along  the  line  of 
frontier  settlements  and  protecting  the  inhabitants. 
At  this  assault  Major  Willard  came  with  a  company 
of  cavalry  to  the  relief  of  the  town,  though  he  did  not 
'reach  the  place  in  time  to  be  of  service  in  its  defence. 
He  died  at  Charlestowu,  on  April  24,  1676,  a  very 
few  weeks  after  this  town  was  abandoned.  Benjamin 
Thompson,  the  earliest  native  American  poet,  pays 
the  following  tribute  to  his  character,  in  a  little 
pamphlet  published  during  Philip's  War,  and  entitled 
"  New  England's  Tears."  It  is  certainly  rude  in  ex- 
pression, and  probably  just  in  its  conception,  but  not 
accurate  as  to  the  date  of  his  death  : 

"About  this  Time  Died  Major  Willard  Esq.;  who  had  continued  one 
of  our  Senators  many  years,  and  Head  of  the  2Iassachuset  Bands.  In 
23  April  1676. 

"EPITAPHIUM. 

"  Great.  Good,  and  Just,  Valiant,  and  Wise, 
New  Euglands  Common  Sacrince  : 
The  Prince  of  War,  the  Bond  of  Love, 
A  True  Heroich  Martial  Dove : 
Pardon  I  croud  his  Parts  so  close 
mdch  all  the  World  in  measure  knows. 
We  envy  Death,  and  well  ice  may, 
Wlio  "keeps  him  under  Lock  and  Key. ''^ 

Nearly  one-and-twenty  years  had  passed  since  the 
little  settlement  in  the  wilderness  was  begun,  and 
Groton  was  fast  approaching  its  majority.  The  new 
town  had  enjoyed  a  moderate  share  of  prosperity,  and 


GROTON.  27 

was  slowly  working  out  its  destiny.     The  founders 
were  poor  in  this  world's  goods,  but  rich  in  faith  ai5d 
courage.     They    had   now   tasted   the  hardships   of 
frontier  life,  but  not  as  yet  felt  the  horrors  of  savage 
warfare.     The   distant    thunders    of    a    threatening 
storm  were  beginning  to  be  heard,  and  the  occasional 
flashes  put  the  early  settlers  on  their  guard.     Philip's 
War  had  broken  out  during  the  summer  of  1675,  and 
the  outlying  settlements  were  exposed  to  new  dangers. 
The  inhabitants  of  this  town  took  such  precautions 
as  seemed  needful,  and  trusted  in  Providence  for  the 
rest.     They   were  just  beginning   to  prepare  for  the 
workof  anothe?seasl)n,  when  a  small  band  of  prowl- 
ing Indians  alarmed  the  town  by  pillaging  eight  or 
nine  houses  and  driving  off  some  cattle.     This  oc- 
curred on  March  2,  1676,  and  was  a  sufficient  warn- 
ing, probably,  to  send  the  inhabitants  to  the  garrison- 
houses,   whither  they  were  wont  to  flee  in  time  of 
danger.     These  places  of  refuge  w^ere  usually  houses 
surrounded  by  a  strong  wall  of  stone  or  timber,  built 
up  as  high  as  the  eaves,  with  a  gateway,  and  port- 
holes for  the  use  of  musketry. 

In  Groton  there  were  five  such  garrison-houses, 
and  under  their  protection  many  a  sleepless,  anxious 
night  was  passed  by  the  inmates.  Four  of  these 
houses  were  very  near  each  other,  and  the  fifth  was 
nearly  a  mile  away.  The  sites  of  some  of  them  are 
well  known.  One  was  Mr.  Willard's  house,  which 
stood  near  the  High  School ;  another  was  Captain 
Parker's  house,  which  stood  just  north  of  the  Town 
Hall  ;  and  a  third  was  John  Nutting's  house,  on  the 
other  side  of  James's  Brook.     The  fourth  was  proba- 


28  GKOTON. 

bly  north  of  John  Nutting's,  but  perhaps  south  of 
Mr.  Willard's.  There  is  a  tradition  that  one  stood 
near  the  house  formerly  owned  and  occupied  by  the 
late  Eber  Woods,  which  would  make  the  fifth 
garrison-house  "  near  a  mile  distant  from  the  rest." 
Richard  Sawtell,  the  first  town-clerk,  was  living  on 
this  site  at  that  time,  and  his  house  would  have  been 
a  convenient  rallying-point  for  his  neighbors.  With- 
out doubt  he  was  the  Richard  Sawtell  who  served  in 
Major  Appleton's  company  during  Philip's  War. 

It  is  recorded  in  the  inventory  of  his  estate,  on  file 
in  the  Middlesex  Probate  Office  at  East  Cambridge, 
that  Timothy  Cooper,  of  Groton,  was  "  Sleine  by  the 
Indeins  the  Second  day  of  march,  1675-6."  Cooper 
was  an  Englishman  by  birth,  and  lived,  probably, 
somewhere  between  the  Baptist  meeting-house  and 
the  beginning  of  Farmers'  Row.  It  is  not  known  that 
there  was  other  loss  of  life  at  this  time,  but  the  affair 
was  serious  enough  to  alarm  the  inhabitants.  They 
sought  refuge  immediately  in  the  garrison-houses,  as 
the  Indians  were  lurking  in  the  vicinity.  On  March 
9th  the  savages  again  threatened  the  beleaguered 
town,  and  by  a  cunningly  contrived  ambush,  man- 
aged to  entrap  four  men  at  work,  of  whom  one  was 
killed  and  one  captured,  while  the  other  two  escaped. 
This  second  assault  must  have  produced  great  alarm 
and  consternation  among  the  people  of  the  town. 
The  final  and  main  attack,  however,  came  on  the 
13th,  when  the  enemy  appeared  in  full  body, — thought 
to  be  not  less  than  four  hundred  in  number.  The 
inhabitants  at  this  time  all  were  gathered  into  the 
several  garrisons  for  protection.     During  the  previous 


GROTON.  29 

night  the  savages  scattered  throughout  the  neighbor- 
hood^  and  the  first  volley  of  shot  on  the  morning  of 
the  13th  was  a  signal  for   the  general  burning  of  the 
town  ;  and  in   this   conflagration  the  first  meeting- 
house of  Groton  was  destroyed,  together  with  about 
forty  dwelling-houses.     This  building,  erected  at  the 
cost  of  many  and  great  privations,  was  the  pride  of 
the  inhabitants.     With  its  thatched  roof,  it  must  have 
burned  quickly ;  and  in  a  very  short  time  nothing  was 
left  but  a  heap  of  smoking  embers.     Although  it  had 
never  been  formally  dedicated  to   religious  worship, 
it  had  been  consecrated  in  spirit  to  the  service  of  God 
by  the  prayers  of  the  minister  and  the  devotion  of  t}\e 
congregation.     In  this  assault  John  Nutting's  garri- 
son was  taken  by  stratagem.     The  men  defending  it 
had  been   drawn   out   by   two   Indians,    apparently 
alone,  when  the  savages  in  ambush  arose  and  killed 
one  of  the  men,  probably  John  Nutting  himself,  and 
wounded  three  others.     At  the  same  time  the  garrison- 
house,  now  defenceless,  was  attacked  in  the  rear  and 
the  palisades  pulled  down,  allowing  the   enemy  to 
take  possession.     The  women  and  children,  compris- 
ing those  of  five  families,  escaped  to  Captain  Parker's 
house,  situated  between  James's  Brook  and  the  site  of 
the  Town-House. 

There  is  a  family  tradition,  worthy  of  credence,  that 
John  Nutting  was  killed  while  defending  his' log- 
house  fort  during  Philip's  War.  His  wife's  name 
appears  a  few  months  later  in  the  Woburn  town- 
records  as  "  Widow  Nutting,"  which  is  confirmatory 
of  the  tradition. 

Several  printed  accounts  of  Philip's  War  appeared 


30  GROTON. 

very  soon  after  it  was  ended,  and  these  furnish  all 
that  is  known  in  regard  to  it.  At  that  time  there  was 
no  special  correspondent  on  the  spot  to  get  the  news ; 
and,  as  the  means  for  communication  were  limited, 
these  narratives  differ  somewhat  in  the  details,  but 
they  agree  substantially  in  their  general  statements. 

With  the  exception  of  Hubbard's  Narrative,  the 
contemporary  accounts  of  this  assault  on  the  town 
are  all  short ;  and  I  give  them  in  the  words  of  the 
writers,  for  what  they  are  worth.  The  first  is  from 
"  A  Brief  History  of  the  Warr  with  the  Indians  in 
Newe  England,"  by  IncreaseMather,  published  in  the 
year  1676.  This  account,  one  of  the  earliest  in  print, 
is  as  follows  : 

"  March  the  10th.  Mischief  was  done,  and  several  lives  cut  off  by  the 
Indians  this  day,  at  Groton  and  at  Sudbury.  An  humbling  Providence, 
inasmuch  as  many  Churches  were  this  day  Fasting  and  Praying.  (Page 
23.) 

^^  March  lii.  The  Indians  assaulted  Grotow,  and  left  but  few  houses 
standing.  So  that  this  day  also  another  Candlestick  was  removed  out  of 
its  place.  One  of  the  first  houses  that  the  enemy  destroyed  in  this 
place,  was  the  House  of  God,  h.  e.  which  was  built,  and  set  apart  for  the 
celebration  of  the  jmblick  "Worship  of  God. 

"  When  they  had  done  that,  they  scoifed  and  blasphemed,  and  came 
to  Mr.  Willard  (the  worthy  Pastor  of  the  Church  there)  his  house  (which 
being  Fortified,  they  attempted  not  to  destroy  it)  and  tauntingly,  said, 
What  icill  you  do  for  a  house  to  pray  in  now  tee  have  burnt  your  Meeting- 
house f  Thus  hath  the  enemy  Hone  wickedly  in  the  Sanctuary,  they 
have  burnt  up  the  Synagogues  of  God  in  the  Land  ;  they  have  cast  fire 
into  the  Sanctuary  ;  they  have  cast  down  the  dwelling  place  of  his  name 
to  the  Ground.  0  God,  how  long  shall  the  Adversary  approach  f  shall  th« 
Enemy  Blaspheme  thy  Name  for  ever  f  why  wtthdrawest  thou  thine  hand,  even 
thy  right  hand  f  pluck  it  out  of  thy  bosome.' '     (Page  24.) 

Several  accounts  of  the  war  appeared  in  London 
in  1676,  only  a  few  months  after  the  destruction  of 
this  town.     They  were  written  in  New  England,  and 


GROTON.  31 

sent  '.o  Old  England,  where  they  were  at  once 
published  in  thin  pamplets.  The  authors  of  them 
are  now  unknown,  but  undoubtedly  they  gathered 
their  materials  from  hearsay.  At  that  time  Indian 
affairs  in  New  England  atti acted  a  good  deal  of  at- 
tention in  the  mother  country.  One  of  these  pamphlets 
is  entitled  :  "  A  True  Account  of  the  most  Consider- 
able Occurrences  that  have  hapned  in  the  Warre 
between  the  English  and  the  Indians  in  New  Eng- 
land, ...  as  it  hath  been  communicated  by 
Letters  to  a  Friend  iu  London."  This  narrative 
says  : 

"On  the  13th  of  2Iarch,  before  our  Forces  could  return  towards  our 
Parts,  the  Indians  sent  a  strong  party,  and  assaulted  the  Town  of  €h-owton, 
about  forty  miles  North-west  from  Boston,  and  burn'd  all  the  deserted 
Houses  ;  the  Garrison'd  Houses,  which  were  about  ten,  all  escaped  but 
one,  which  they  carryed,  but  not  the  English  in  it ;  for  there  was  but 
one  slain  and  two  wounded."     (Page  2.) 

Another  account,  entitled  :  "A  New  and  Further 
Narration  of  the  State  of  New  England,  being  a  con- 
tinued account  of  the  Bloudy  Indian-war,"  gives  the 
following  version  : 

"  The  14th  of  3Iarch  the  savage  Enemy  set  upon  a  Considerable  Town 
called  Gromjhton,  and  burnt  Major  Wilberds  House  first  (who  with  his 
family  removed  to  Charls  Town)  and  afterwards  destroyed  sixty  Five 
dwelling-houses  more  there,  leaving  but  six  houses  standing  in  the 
whole  Town,  which  they  likewise  furiously  attempted  to  set  on  fire ; 
But  being  fortified  with  Arms  and  Men  as  Garisons,  they  with  their 
shot,  killed  several  of  the  Enemy,  and  prevented  so  much  of  their 
designe ;  Nor  do  we  hear  that  any  person  on  our  side  was  here  either 
slain  or  taken  captive."     (Page  4.) 

A  few  pages  further  on  it  says :  '•'  Grantham  and 
Kashaivay  all  ruined  but  one  house  or  two."  (Page 
14.)  Few  persons  would  recognize  this  town  under 
the  disguise  of  Grantham. 


32  GROTON. 

A  third  one  of  these  London  pamphlets,  bearing 
the  title  of  *'  News  from  New  England,"  says : 

"  The  1th  of  March  following  these  bloody  Indians  march't  to  a  con- 
siderable Town  called  Croaton  where  they  first  set  fire  to  Major  Willards 
house,  and  afterwards  burnt  65  more,  there  being  Seaventy  two  houses 
at  first  so  that  there  was  left  standing  but  six  houses  of  the  whole  Town." 
(Page  4.) 

The  details  of  the  burning  of  the  town  are  found 
in  "  A  Narrative  of  the  Troubles  with  the  Indians  in 
New  England,"  written  by  the  Reverend  William 
Hubbard,  and  printed  in  the  year  1677.  It  is  the 
fullest  history  of  the  events  relating  to  Groton  ap- 
pearing near  the  time;  and  very  likely  many  of  the 
facts  were  obtained  from  the  Reverend  Mr.  Willard. 
The  account  is  not  as  clear  as  might  be  desired,  and 
contains  some  glaring  discrepancies,  but  it  is  too  long 
to  be  quoted  here. 

The  Indians  were  a  cowardly  set  and  never  at- 
tacked in  open  field.  They  never  charged  on  works 
in  regular  column,  but  depended  rather  on  craft  or 
cunning  to  defeat  their  adversary.  The  red  hell- 
hounds — as  they  w^ere  sometimes  called  by  our  pious 
forefathers — were  always  ready  to  attack  women  and 
children,  but  afraid  to  meet  men.  The  main  body  of 
the  savages  passed  the  night  following  the  final  at- 
tack in  "an  adjacent  valley,"  which  cannot  now  be 
easily  identified,  but  some  of  them  lodged  in  the  gar- 
rison-house, which  they  had  taken  ;  and  the  next 
morning,  after  firing  two  or  three  volleys  at  Captain 
Parker's  house,  they  departed.  They  carried  off  a 
prisoner, — John  Morse,  the  town  clerk, — who  was 
ransomed  a  short  time  afterward.  The  following 
reference  to  him  in  an  undated  letter,  written  bv  the 


GROTON.  33 

Rev.  Thomas  Cobbet  to  the  Rev.  Increase  Mather, 
shows  very  nearly  the  time  of  his  release : 

"May  ye  12th  [167G]  Good  wife  Diuens  [Divoll]  and  Good  wife  Ketle 
vpon  ransom  paid,  came  into  concord.  &  vpon  like  ransom  presently 
[ajfter  John  Moss  of  Groton  &  lieftenant  Carlors  [Kerley's]  Daughter  of 
Lancaster  were  set  at  liberty  &  9  more  w'out  ransom."  (Mather 
Manuscripts  in  the  Prince  Collection,  at  the  Boston  Public  Library, 
L  76.) 

The  ransom  for  John  Morse  was  paid  by  John 
Hubbard,  of  Boston,  and  amounted  to  ''about  five 
pounds."  Morse's  petition  to  the  Council,  to  have 
Hubbard  reimbursed,  is  found  among  the  Massachu- 
setts Archives  (LXIX.  48). 

Fortunately  the  loss  of  life  or  limb  on  the  part  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  town  was  small,  and  it  is  not 
known  that  more  than  three  persons  were  killed — 
of  whom  one  was  Timothy  Cooper,  and  another,  with- 
out doubt,  John  Nutting — and  three  wounded ;  two 
were  made  prisoners,  of  whom  one  escaped  from  the 
savages  and  reached  Lancaster,  and  the  other,  John 
Morse,  was  ransomed. 

The  lot  of  these  early  settlers  was  indeed  hard  and 
bitter ;  they  had  seen  their  houses  destroyed  and  their 
cattle  killed,  leaving  them  nothing  to  live  on.  Their 
alternative  now  was  to  abandon  the  plantation,  which 
they  did  with  much  sadness  and  sorrow.  The  settle- 
ment was  broken  up,  and  the  inhabitants  scattered  in 
different  directions  among  their  friends  and  kindred. 
In  the  spring  of  1678,  after  an  absence  of  two  years, 
they  returned  and  established  anew  the  little  town  on 
the  frontier. 

In  the  autumn  of  1879  the  town  of  Groton  erected 
a  monument  to  commemorate  the  site  of  the  meeting- 
3 


34  GROTON. 

house  which  was  burned  during  this  assault.  It  bears 
the  following  inscription  : 

"near  this  spot 

STOOD  THE  FIRST  MEETING   HOUSE  OF  GROTON 

Built  in  1666 

and  bttrnt  by  the  indians 

13  March  1676  " 

The  monument,  in  connection  with  two  others 
relating  to  the  history  of  the  town,  was  dedicated 
with  appropriate  exercises  in  the  Town  Hall  on  Feb. 
20,  1880,  when  an  address  was  delivered  by  Dr.  Sam- 
uel A.  Green,  which  was  subsequently  printed. 

After  Philip's  War  the  colonists  were  at  peace 
with  the  Indians,  but  it  was  a  suspicious  kind  of 
peace.  It  required  watching  and  a  show  of  strength 
to  keep  it;  there  was  no  good-will  between  the  na- 
tive race  and  the  white  intruders.  The  savages  at 
best  made  bad  neighbors  ;  they  were  treacherous  and 
addicted  to  drink.  The  following  entries  in  the  town 
records  show  that  they  were  a  shiftless  and  drunken 
set  : 

"  Jnneuary  31  1681  It  [was]  agred  upon  by  the  select  men  That  the 
ludanes  shall  be  warned  out  of  the  Toune  forth  with  and  if  the  shall 
ueiglect  the  warning  and  if  any  of  them  be  taken  drounke  or  in  drinke 
or  with  drinke  Then  these  parsons  ar  to  be  sezed  and  brout  be  fours 
the  select  men  either  by  constable  or  by  any  other  parson  and  be  poun- 
esed  accordin  as  the  law  doth  direct  and  the  Informar  shall  be  sattised 
for  his  paines" 

"  March  28  1682  two  Indian  squaws  being  apprehended  In  drinke  & 
with  drinke  brought  to  y*  select  men  one  squaw  Nehatchechin  swaw 
being  drouncke  was  sentanced  to  receive  &  did  i-eceive  ten  stripes  the 
other  John  Nasqunns  sway  was  sentanced  to  pay  S^  4^  cash  and  loose 
her  two  quart  bottle  and  the  Liquour  in  it  awarded  to  Sargnt  Laken  who 
seized  them." 

During  this  period  the  Indians  began  again  to  be 


GROTON.  35 

troublesome,  and  for  the  next  fifteen  or  twenty- 
years  continued  their  occasional  depredations  by- 
murdering  the  inhabitants,  burning  their  houses, 
destroying  their  crops  or  killing  their  cattle.  Into 
these  garrison-houses  the  neighboring  families  gath- 
ered at  night,  where  they  were  guarded  by  armed 
men  who  warned  the  inmates  of  any  approach  of 
danger. 

At  times  troops  were  stationed  here  by  the  Colonial 
authorities  for  the  protection  of  the  town  ;  and  the 
orders  and  counter  orders  to  the  small  garrison  show 
too  well  that  danger  was  threatening.  In  the  mean- 
while King  William's  War  was  going  on  ;  and  the 
enemy  had  material  and  sympathetic  aid  from  the 
French  in  Canada.  The  second  attack  on  the  town 
came  in  the  summer  of  1694,  and  the  accounts  of  it  I 
prefer  to  give  in  the  words  of  contemporary  waiters. 
Sometimes  there  are  discrepancies,  but,  in  the  main, 
such  narratives  are  trustworthy. 

Theattack  was  made  on  Friday,  July  27th,  and  Cot- 
ton Mather,  in  his  "  Magnalia,"  thus  refers  to  it  : 

"  Nor  did  the  Storm  go  over  so  :  Some  Drops  of  it  fell  upon  the  Town 
of  Gi-oton,  a  Town  that  laj%  one  would  think,  far  enough  off  the  Place 
where  was  the  last  Scene  of  the  Tragedy. 

"  On  July  27.  [1694,]  about  break  of  Day  Groton  felt  some  surprising 
Blows  from  the  Indian  Hatchets.  They  began  their  Attacks  at  the 
House  of  one  Lieutenant  Lalin,  in  the  Out-skirts  of  the  Town;  but  met 
with  a  Eepulse  there,  and  lost  one  of  their  Crew.  Nevertheless,  in 
other  Parts  of  that  Plantation  (when  the  good  People  had  been  so  tired 
out  as  to  lay  down  their  Military  Watch)  there  were  more  than  Twenty 
Persons  killed,  and  more  than  a  Dozen  carried  away.  Mr.  Gershoni  Ho' 
hart,  the  Minister  of  the  Place,  with  part  of  his  Family,  was  Kemark- 
ably  preserved  from  falling  into  their  Hands,  when  they  made  them- 
selves the  Masters  of  his  House  ;  though  they  Took  Two  of  his  Chil- 
dren, whereof  the  one  was  Killed,  and  the  other  some  time  after  hap- 
pily Rescued  out  of  his  Captivity."     (Book  YII.  page  80.) 


36  GROTOX. 

Governor  Hutchinson,  in  his  ''  History  of  the 
Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay,"  i^ublished  during 
the  following  century,  writes  : 

"Having  crossed  Merrimack,  on  the  27th  of  July  [1694]  they  fell  upon 
Groton,  about  40  miles  from  Boston.  They  were  repulsed  at  Lakin's 
garrison  house,  but  fell  upon  other  houses,  where  the  people  were  off 
their  guard,  and  killed  and  carried  away  from  the  vicinity  about  forty 
persons.  Toxus's  two  nephews  were  killed  by  his  side,  and  he  had  a 
dozen  bullets  through  his  blanket,  according  to  Charlevoix,  who  adds 
that  he  carried  the  fort  or  garrison  and  then  went  to  make  spoil  at  the 
gates  of  Boston  ;  in  both  which  facts  the  French  account  is  erroneous." 
(11.  82.) 

In  the  assault  of  July,  1694,  the  loss  on  the  part  of 
the  inhabitants  was  considerably  greater  than  when 
the  town  was  destroyed  in  the  attack  of  1676.  It  is 
said  that  the  scalps  of  the  unfortunate  victims  were 
given  to  the  Count  de  Frontenac,  Governor  of  Can- 
ada. A  large  majority,  and  perhaps  all,  of  the  pris- 
oners taken  at  this  time  were  children.  The  Indians 
had  learned  that  captives  had  a  market  vakie ;  and 
children,  when  carried  off,  could  be  more  easily 
guarded  than  adults.  It  was  more  profitable  for  the 
savages  to  exchange  prisoners  for  a  ransom,  or  sell 
them  to  the  French,  than  it  was  to  kill  them.  It  is 
now  too  late  to  give  the  names  of  all  the  sufferers, 
but  a  few  facts  in  regard  to  them  may  be  gathered 
from  fragmentary  sources.  The  families  that  suffered 
the  severest  lived,  for  the  most  part,  in  the  same  gen- 
eral neighborhood,  which  was  near  the  site  of  the  first 
meeting-house.  Lieut.  AVilliam  Lakin's  house, 
where  the  fight  began,  was  situated  in  the  vicinity  of 
Chicopee  Row. 

The  following  list  of  casualties,  necessarily  incom- 


GROTON.  37 

plete  and  in  part  conjectural,  is  given  as  an  approxi- 
mation to  the  lo?s  sustained  by  the  town  : 

Killed.  Captured. 

John  Longley's  family 7  3 

Rev.  Mr.  Hobart's "       1  1 

John  Shepley's       "      4?  1 

JamesParker,Jr.'s "       2  3? 

Alexander  Rouse's  "       2  1 

Mr.  Gershom  Hobart,  the  minister,  whose  house  was 
captured  in  this  assault,  lived  where  the  Baptist 
meeting-house  now  stands.  One  of  his  boys  was 
killed,  and  another,  Gershom,  Jr.,  was  carried  off. 
There  is  a  tradition  extant  that  a  third  child  was  con- 
cealed under  a  tub  in  the  cellar,  and  thus  saved  from 
the  fury  of  the  savages.  Judge  Sewall  writes  in  his 
diary,  under  the  date  of  May  1,  1695  : 

"Mr.  Hobarts  son  Gershom  is  well  at  a  new  Fort  a  days  Journey 
above  Nerigavvag  [Norridgewock],  Masters  name  is  Nassacombgwit,  a 
good  Master,  and  Mistress.  Master  is  chief  Captain,  now  Bambazeen  is 
absent." 

("Massachusetts  Historical  Collections,"  V.  Fifth  series,  403,  404.) 

According  to  a  letter  written  by  the  Keverend 
John  Cotton  to  his  wife  at  Plymouth,  and  dated 
"  Election-night,  Boston  "  (May  29,  1695),  he  was  res- 
cued from  captivity  during  that  month.  The  inscrip- 
tion on  the  Shepley  monument  says  that  "the  Indi- 
ans massacred  all  the  Sheples  in  Groton  save  a  John 
Sheple  16  years  old  who  the[y]  carried  captive  to 
Canada  and  kept  him  4  years,  after  which  he  returned 
to  Groton  and  from  him  descended  all  the  Sheples 
or  Shepleys  in  this  Vicinity  ;''  but  there  is  no  record 
to  show  how  many  there  were  in  this  family.  Mr. 
Butler,  in  his  History  (page  97),  makes  substantially 


38  GEOTON. 

the  same  statement,  but  does  not  mention  any  num- 
ber. In  my  list  it  is  placed  at  five,  which  is  conjec- 
tural ;  of  this  number  probably  four  were  slain. 
Shepley  Jived  near  where  the  Martin's  Pond  Road 
starts  off  from  the  North  Common.  The  knowledge 
which  the  boy  John  obtained  of  their  language  and 
customs,  while  a  prisoner  among  the  Indians,  was  of 
much  use  to  him  in  after-life.  Tradition  says  that, 
when  buying  furs  and  skins  of  them,  he  used  to  put 
his  foot  in  one  scale  of  the  balance  instead  of  a  pound 
weight.  In  the  summer  of  1704,  while  he  and  thir- 
teen other  men  were  reaping  in  a  field  at  Groton,  they 
were  attacked  by  a  party  of  about  twenty  Indians. 
After  much  skirmishing  Shepley  and  one  of  his  com- 
rades, Butterfield  by  name,  succeeded  in  killing  one 
of  the  assailants,  for  which  act  they  were  each  granted 
four  pounds  by  the  Provincial  authorities.  He  was 
the  direct  ancestor  of  the  late  Honorable  Ether 
Shepley,  of  Portland,  formerly  chief  justice  of  the 
Supreme  Judicial  Court  of  the  State  of  Maine, 
and  his  son,  the  late  Gen.  George  Foster  Shep- 
ley, formerly  a  justice  of  the  Circuit  Court 
of  the  First  Circuit  of  the  United  States. 
John's  petition  to  the  General  Court,  asking 
that  an  allowance  be  made  for  this  service,  and  giv- 
ing the  particulars  of  the  attack,  is  found  among  the 
Massachusetts  Archives  (XXX,  496,  497)  at  the  State- 
Hou&e. 

Among  the  "  Xams  of  thos  Eemaining  Still  in 
hands  of  the  freuch  at  Canada,"  found  in  a  document 
dated  October,  1695,  are  those  of  "  Lidey  Langly 
gerl"  and  "  Jn"  Shiply  boy."     In  this  list  the  resi- 


GROTON.  39 

dences  of  both  these  children  are  incorrectly  written, 
Lydia's  being  given  as  Dover,  New  Hampshire,  and 
John's  as  Oyster  River.  They  both  belonged  in  this 
town,  and  were  taken  at  the  assault  of  July  27,  1694. 
The  name  of  Thomas  Drew  appears  in  the  same  list 
as  of  Groton,  which  is  a  mistake,  as  he  was  of  Oyster 
River.     (Archives,  XXXVIII.  A  2.) 

This  expedition  against  Groton  was  planned  in 
part  by  the  Indian?  at  a  fort  called  Amsaquonte  above 
Norridgewock,  in  Maine.  It  was  arranged  also  in  the 
plan  of  operations  that  Oyster  River — now  Durham, 
New  Hampshire — should  be  attacked  on  the  way ;  and 
the  assault  on  that  town  was  made  July  18th  nine  days 
before  the  one  on  Groton.  At  Oyster  River  more 
than  ninety  persons  were  either  killed  or  captured; 
the  prisoners  from  the  two  towns  appear  to  have  been 
taken  to  Maine,  where  they  were  brought  frequently 
together  during  their  captivity.  On  January  21,  1695, 
Lieutenant-Governor  William  Stoughton  issued  a 
proclamation,  in  which  he  refers  to  the  "  tragical  out- 
rages and  barberous  murders"  at  Oyster  River  and 
Groton.  He  says  that  several  of  the  prisoners  taken 
at  these  places  "are  now  detained  by  the  said  Indians 
at  Amarascoggin  and  other  adjoining  places." 

Hezekiah  Miles,  alias  Hector,  a  friendly  Indian,  at 
one  time  a  captive  in  the  enemy's  hands;  made  a 
deposition  before  the  Lieutenant-Governor  and  Coun- 
cil, at  Boston,  May  31,  1695,  which  gives  some  details 
of  the  preparation  for  the  attack ;  and  Ann  Jenkins, 
in  a  deposition  on  June  11,  1695,  adds  other  particu- 
lars. These  papers  may  be  found  among  the  Massa- 
chusetts Archives  (VIII.  39,  40). 


40  GEOTON. 

The  story  of  William  and  Deliverance  Longley's 
family  is  a  sad  one  to  relate.  They  were  living,  with 
their  eight  children,  on  a  small  farm,  perhaps  a  mile 
and  a  quarter  from  the  village,  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Hollis  road.  Their  house  was  built  of  hewn  logs,  and 
was  standing  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  century. 
The  old  cellar,  with  its  w^ell-laid  walls,  w^as  distinctly 
visible  forty  years  ago,  and  traces  of  it  could  be  seen 
even  to  very  modern  times.  The  site  of  this  house 
has  recently  been  marked  by  a  monument  bearing  the 
following  inscription  : — 


HERE    DWELT 

WILLIAM  AND  DELIVERANCE  LONGLEY 

WITH   THEIR   EIGHT    CHILDREN. 

On  THE  27th  of  July  1694 

THE   INDIANS   KILLED   THE   FATHER  AND   MOTHER 

AND  FIVE  OF  THE  CHILDREN 

AND     CARRIED     INTO     CAPTIVITY 

THE    OTHER   THREE. 


The  monument  was  erected  in  the  autumn  of  1879, 
at  the  expense  of  the  town,  on  land  generously  given 
for  the  purpose  by  Mr.  Zechariah  Fitch,  the  present 
owner  of  the  farm  ;  and  it  was  dedicated  with  appro- 
priate exercises  on  February  20,  1880. 

On  the  fatal  morning  of  July  27,  1694,  the  massa- 
cre of  this  family  took  place.  The  savages  appeared 
suddenly,  coming  from  the  other  side  of  the  Merri- 
mack Kiver,  and  began  the  attack  at  Lieutenant 
William  Lakin's  house,  where  ^hey  were  repulsed 
with  the  loss  of  one  of  their  number.  They  followed 
it  up  by  assaulting  other  houses  in  the  same  neigh- 


GROTON.  41 

borhood.  They  made  quick  work  of  it,  and  left  the 
town  as  speedily  as  they  came.  With  the  exception 
of  John  Shepley's  house,  it  is  not  known  that  they 
destroyed  any  of  the  buildings ;  but  they  pillaged 
them  before  they  departed.  They  carried  oflf  thirteen 
prisoners,  mostly  children, — and  perhaps  all, — who 
must  have  retarded  their  march.  There  is  a  tradition 
that,  early  in  the  morning  of  the  attack,  the  Indians 
turned  Longley's  cattle  out  of  the  barnyard  into  the 
cornfield  and  then  lay  in  ambush.  The  stratagem 
had  the  desired  effect.  Longley  rushed  out  of  the 
house  unarmed,  in  order  to  drive  the  cattle  back, 
when  he  was  murdered  and  all  his  family  either  killed 
or  captured.  The  bodies  of  the  slain  were  buried  in 
one  grave,  a  few  rods  northwest  of  the  house.  A 
small  apple-tree  growing  over  the  spot  and  a  stone 
lying  even  with  the  ground,  for  many  years  furnished 
the  only  clue  to  the  final  resting-place  of  this  unfor- 
tunate family,  but  these  have  now  disappeared. 

William  Longley  was  town  clerk  in  the  year  1687, 
and  also  from  1692  till  his  death,  in  1694 ;  and  only 
one  week  before  he  was  killed  he  had  made  entries 
in  the  town  records.  His  father,  William  Longley, 
Sr.,  also  had  been  town  clerk  during  the  years  1666 
and  1667,  and  died  November  29,  1680.  The  father 
was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  town,  as  well  as 
the  owner  of  a  thirty-acre  right  in  the  original  Groton 
plantation.  Lydia,  John  and  Betty  were  the  names 
of  the  three  children  carried  off  by  the  savages,  and 
taken  to  Canada.  Lydia  was  sold  to  the  French  and 
placed  in  the  Congregation  of  Notre  Dame,  a  convent 
in  Montreal,  where  she  embraced  the  Eoman  Catho- 


42  GROTON. 

lie  faith,  and  died  July  20,  1758,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty-four  years.  Betty  perished  soon  after  her 
capture  from  hunger  and  exposure;  and  John,  the 
third  child,  remained  with  the  savages  for  more  than 
four  years,  when  he  was  ransomed  and  brought  away 
much  against  his  own  will.  At  one  time  during  his 
captivity  he  was  on  the  verge  of  starving,  when  an 
Indian  kindly  gave  him  a  dog's  foot  to  gnaw,  which 
for  the  time  appeased  his  hunger.  He  was  known 
among  his  captors  as  John  Angary.  After  he  came 
home  his  sister  Lydia  wrote  from  Canada  urging  him 
to  abjure  the  Protestant  religion  ;  but  he  remained 
true  to  the  faith  of  his  early  instruction. 

Their  grandmother,  the  widow  of  Benjamin  Crispe, 
made  her  will  April  13,  1698,  which  was  admitted  to 
probate  in  Middlesex  County  on  the  28th  of  the  fol- 
lowing December ;  and  in  it  she  remembered  these 
absent  children  as  follows: 

.  "  I  give  and  bequeath  Vnto  my  three  Grand-Children  y'  are  in  Cap- 
tivity if  they  returne  Vizdt  these  books  one  of  y^  a  bible  another  a  Ser- 
mon booke  treating  of  faith  and  the  other  a  psalme  book." 

The  old  lady  herself,  doubtless,  had  read  the  "  Ser- 
mon booke  treating  of  faith  ; "  and  it  must  have 
strengthened  her  belief  in  Divine  wisdom,  and  been  a 
great  consolation  in  her  trials.  She  did  not  know  at 
this  time  that  her  granddaughter  was  already  a  con- 
vert to  the  Roman  Catholic  religion.  The  knowledge 
of  this  fact  would  have  been  to  her  an  affliction 
scarcely  lejs  than  the  massacre  of  her  daughter's 
family. 

John  Longley  returned  about  the  time  when  the 
grandmother  died ;  and  subsequently  he  filled  many 


GKOTON.  43 

important  offices  both  in  the  church  and  the  town. 
Like  his  father  and  grandfather,  he  was  the  town 
clerk  during  several  years.  Among  the  papers  (Knox 
Manuscripts,  Waldo  Papers,  L.  13)  in  the  possession 
of  the  New  England  Historic  Genealogical  Society  is 
a  deposition  made  by  Longley,  giving  a  short  account 
of  his  captivity  among  the  Indians. 

In  the  month  of  July,  1877,  I  was  in  Montreal, 
where  I  procured,  through  the  kindness  of  the  Mother 
Superior  at  the  Congregation  of  Notre  Dame,  a  copy 
of  the  French  record  of  Lydia's  baptism,  of  which  the 
following  is  a  translation  : 

"  On  Tuesday,  April  24,  1696,  the  ceremony  of  baptism  was  performed 
on  an  English  girl,  named  Lydia  Longley,  who  was  born  April  14, 1674, 
at  Groton,  a  few  miles  from  Boston  in  New  England.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  William  Longley  and  Deliverance  Crisp,  both  Protestants. 
She  was  captured  in  the  month  of  July,  1694,  by  the  Abenaqui  Indians^ 
and  has  lived  for  the  past  month  in  the  house  of  the  Sisters  of  the  Con- 
gregation of  Notre  Dame.  The  godfather  was  M.  Jacques  Leber,  mer- 
chant ;  the  godmother  was  Madame  Marie  Madeleine  Dupont,  wife  of 
M.  de  Maricourt,  Ecuyer,  Captain  of  a  company  of  Marines:  she  named, 
this  English  girl  Lydia  Madeleine. 

Signed  "Lydia  Madeleine  Longley, 

"  Madeleine  Dupont, 

"  Leber, 

"M.  Caille,  acting  curate. ^^ 

After  this  attack  of  July  27th  the  town  was  left  in 
straitened  circumstances,  and  the  inhabitants  found  it 
difficult  to  meet  the  demands  made  on  them.  In 
this  emergency  they  petitioned  the  General  Court  for 
relief,  which  was  duly  granted. 

Cotton  Mather  says  that  one  man  was  killed  at  Gro- 
ton in  the  year  1697,  and  another,  with  two  children, 
carried  into  captivity.  (Magnalia,  Book  VII.  page 
91.)     He  does  not  give  the  data  clearly,  but  inferen- 


44  GROTON. 

tially  it  is  June.  The  prisoner  was  Stephen  Holden, 
who  was  captured,  with  his  two  oldest  sons,  John  and 
Stephen,  Jr.  John  was  released  in  Januaty,  1699,  at 
which  time  the  father  and  the  other  boy  were  yet 
remaining  in  the  hands  of  the  savages.  It  was  not 
long,  however,  before  they  too  were  freed  ;  for,  in  the 
following  June,  the  House  of  Representatives  voted 
three  pounds  and  twelve  shillings  for  the  expenses 
that  had  been  incurred  in  bringing  them  back. 

QuEEX  Anxe's  War,  as  it  is  commonly  called  in 
America,  broke  out  in  the  year  1702,  when  England 
declared  war  against  France  and  Spain ;  and  the 
American  Colonies  were  drawn  into  the  contest.  The 
Indians  in  Xew  England  were  in  sympathy  with  the 
French ;  and  they  kept  the  frontier  settlements  con- 
tinually on  the  alert.  Strict  vigilance,  on  the  part  of 
the  colonists  was  the  price  of  their  safety.  Military 
companies  were  still  held  under  discipline  and  drill, 
and  from  time  to  time  were  reviewed  by  the  proper 
officers.  In  the  year  1702,  Chief  Justice  Samuel  Sewall 
accompanied  Governor  Joseph  Dudley  through  Mid- 
dlesex County  on  a  tour  of  inspection;  and  in  his 
Diary,  under  date  of  October  28th,  he  writes : 

"Went  to  Groton,  saw  Captain  Prescot  and  his  company  in  Arms.  (Got'' 
had  sent  to  them  from  Dunstable  that  would  visit  them).  Lancaster  ia 
about  12  Miles  Southward  from  Groton.  Concord  is  16  Miles  %  and 
Ten-Rod  from  Groton." 

(Massachusetts  Historical  Collections,  VI.  fifth  series,  67.) 

After  these  alarms  there  was  a  short  respite,  which 
continued  till  1704,  when  the  frontier  towns  were 
again  exposed  to  savage  warfare,  and  this  town  suf- 
fered with  the  others. 

Samuel  Penhallow,  in  "  The  History  of  the  Wars 


GROTON.  45 

oi  New  England'''  (Boston,  1726),  thus  refers  to  the 
attack  on  this  place  in  August,  1704  :    The  Indians — 

• "  afterwards  fell  ou  Lancaster,  and  (Jroaton,  where  they  did  some  Spoil, 
but  not  what  they  expected,  for  that  these  Towns  were  seasonably 
strengthened.  .  .  . 

"  And  yet  a  little  while  after  they  fell  on  Gmaton,  and  Nashaioay  [Lan- 
caster], where  they  kill'd  Lieut.  Wyler  [Wilder],  and  several  more. 
(Pages  24,  25.) 

In  the  library  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  So- 
ciety is  a  manuscript  diary  of  John  Marshall,  of 
Braintree,  which  has  the  following  entry  : 

The  begining  of  this  month  of  august  [1704]  the  Indians  did  mischief 
at  Lancaster  Killed  3  or  4  persons  burnt  their  meeting  house  :  and  did 
some  harm  allso  at  Groton.  the  same  week.  Killed  one  or  more  :  about 
200  men  went  out  after  them  who  weer  gone  20  days  under  major  Taylor, 
but  Returned  Without  doing  any  spoill  on  them." 

The  attack  on  Lancaster  was  on  July  31st,  and 
that  on  Groton  probably  within  a  day  or  two  of  the 
same  time. 

It  was  during  this  assault  that  Matthias  Farns- 
worth,  Jr.,  was  captured  and  taken  to  Canada,  where 
he  remained  permanently.  He  was  afterward  mar- 
ried to  a  French  wife,  and  his  numerous  posterity  are 
still  living  in  Canada.  The  name  is  found  written 
now  Farnet,  Farnef  and  Phaneuf. 

A  party  of  Indians,  numbering  about  thirty,  made 
their  appearance  in  town,  and  killed  a  man  on  the 
night  of  October  25,  1704.  Pursuit  was  at  once  made 
for  them,  but  it  was  unsuccessful.  The  Boston  News- 
Letter,  October  30,  1704,  gives  the  following  account 
of  the  affair ; 

"  On  Wednesday  night  [October  25]  an  English  man  was  kill'd  in  the 
woods  at  Groton  by  the  Indians  which  were  afterwards  descryed  in  the 
night  by  the  Light  of  their  Fires,  by  a  Person  Travailing  from  Groton 


46  GROTON. 

to  Lancaster,  and  judged  they  might  be  about  Thirty  in  number  ;  pur- 
suit was  made  after  them,  but  none  could  be  found." 

From  "Marshall's  Diary"  we  learn  the  name  of 
the  man  who  was  slain.     It  is  there  recorded : 

"on  the  25  day  [October,  1704],  mr  Breck  was  ordained  at  marlbor- 
rough.  the  next  day  a  man  was  killed  and  scalped  by  the  Indians  he 
belonged  to  the  town  of  Groton  his  name  was  davis  :  a  very  useful  man 
and  much  Lamented." 

It  has  been  a  tradition  that  John  Davis  was  killed 
by  the  Indians,  but  the  date  of  his  death  was  un- 
known ;  this  entry,  however,  seems  to  fix  it.  It  is 
said  to  have  happened  in  the  early  part  of  the  even- 
ing, while  he  was  taking  in  some  clothes  which  had 
been  washed  and  hung  out  to  dry.  He  lived  near  the 
Groton  School,  where  W.  Dickson  resided  when  the 
map  in  Mr.  Butler's  History  was  made ;  and  Davis's 
Fordway,  in  the  river  near  by,  named  after  him,  is 
still  remembered  by  the  older  people  of  that  neigh- 
borhood. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  the  inhabitants,  upon  the 
renewal  of  hostilities,  were  obliged  to  ask  for  help 
from  the  General  Court.  They  had  already  suffered 
much  in  life  and  property,  and  were  little  able  to 
bear  new  burdens.  They  represented  to  the  Gover- 
nor that  they  had  been  greatly  impoverished  by  their 
loss  of  horses  and  cattle,  of  corn  and  hay,  and  that 
they  were  scarcely  able  to  hold  out  much  longer  ; 
but  the  crowning  calamity  of  all  was  the  illness  of  the 
minister,  Mr.  Hobart,  which  prevented  him  from 
preaching.  Their  means  were  so  limited  that  they 
could  not  support  him  and  supply  his  place  besides. 
They  were  obliged  to  earn  their  living  at  the  peril  of 
their  lives;    and  some  were  thinking  to   leave   the 


GROTON.  47 

town.  They  spent  so  much  time  in  watching  and 
guarding  that  they  seemed  to  be  soldiers  rather  than 
farmers.  Under  these  discouraging  circumstances 
they  asked  for  help  from  the  Province,  and  were  al- 
lowed out  of  the  public  treasury  twenty  pounds  to 
assist  them  in  procuring  another  minister,  besides  ten 
pounds  to  be  divided  among  those  who  had  been  the 
greatest  sufferers  in  the  late  attack  upon  them. 

Two  years  later  another  assault  was  made  on  the 
town,  though  with  little  damage.  I  again  quote  from 
Penhallow's  History  of  the  Wars  of  New  England  : 

"[July  21, 1706].  Several  Strokes  were  afterwards  made  on  Chelms- 
ford, Suclhiii-y  and  Groton,  where  three  Soldiers  as  they  were  going  to 
pnblick  Worship,  were  way-laid  by  a  small  Party,  who  kill'd  two,  and 
made  the  other  a  Prisoner."     (Page  36.) 

A  few  additional  particulars  of  these  "  Strokes" 
are  found  in  the  Kev.  John  Pike's  Journal,  printed 
in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical 
Society  for  September,  1875  : 

"Jiily  21,  1706.  Sab:  2  souldiers  slain  &  one  carried  away  by  the 
enemy  at  Groton.  They  were  all  new-Cambridge  [Newton]  men  &  were 
returned  to  their  Post  from  one  Bloods  house,  who  had  invited  y™  to 
Dinner."     (XIV.  143.) 

Marshall,  in  his  Diary,  briefly  alludes  to  this  affair, 
thus : 

' '  on  the  21  [July]  they  Killed  2  and  took  one  captive  at  groton. 

The  Rev.  Jonathan  Homer,  in  his  History  of 
Newton,  as  published  in  the  Massachusetts  Histori- 
cal Collections,  V.  273,  gives  the  names  of  these  men 
as  John  Myrick,  Nathaniel  Healy  and  Ebenezer  Se- 
ger,  and  says  they  were  all  three  killed  by  the  Indians. 
This  statement,  however,  is  inaccurate,  as  John  My- 
rick was  not  one  of  the  three  soldiers,  and,  further- 


48  GROTOX. 

more,  was  alive  after  this  date.  It  is  sufficiently- 
clear  from  contemporaneous  petitions  among  the 
Massachusetts  Archives  (LXXI.  345,419),  that  two 
of  these  men  were  brothers,  by  the  name  of  Seger, 
and  the  third  one  was  Nathaniel  Healey.  It  was 
Ebenezer  Seger  who  was  killed,  and,  probably,  Henry, 
Jr.,  who  was  taken  prisoner. 

At  various  times  in  its  early  history,  the  town  was 
threatened  by  bands  of  roving  Indians,  who  did  what- 
ever damage  lay  in  their  power  to  do.  Such  incur- 
sions kept  the  inhabitants  on  the  alert,  and  from  time 
to  time  companies  were  organized  for  the  purpose  of 
scouring  the  neighborhood. 

On  3Iarch  12,  1694-95,  an  Act  was  passed  by  the 
General  Court,  which  prohibited  the  desertion  of  fron- 
tier towns  by  the  inhabitants  unless  permission  was 
first  granted  by  the  Governor  and  Council.  There  were 
eleven  such  towns,  and  Groton  was  one  of  them.  The 
law  required  the  inhabitants  of  these  out-towns,  who 
owned  land  or  houses,  to  take  out  a  special  license, 
on  pain  of  forfeiting  their  property,  before  they  could 
quit  their  homes  and  live  elsewhere.  *It  was  thought 
that  the  interest  of  the  Crown  would  be  prejudiced, 
and  encouragement  given  to  the  enemy,  if  any  of 
these  i^osts  were  deserted,  or  exposed  by  lessening 
their  strength.  Many  towns  were  threatened  by  the 
Indians  about  this  time,  and  a  few  were  attacked.  It 
is  recorded  that  some  of  the  settlers  here  left  the 
town,  and  there  was  probably  a  movement  among  the 
inhabitants  in  other  places  to  do  the  same.  This 
fact  undoubtedly  occasioned  the  enactment,  which  was 
to  remain  in  force  "unto  the  end  of  the  session  of  the 


GROTON.  49 

general  assembly  to  convene  in  May,  one  thousand 
six  hundred  ninety-six  (if  the  present  war  so  long 
last),  and  no  longer,  nor  afterwards." 

A  similar  Act  was  again  passed  on  March  22, 1699- 
1700,  which  embraced  fourteen  frontier  towns,  of 
which  GrotOn  was  one,  and  seven  other  towns  that 
"  lye  more  open  than  many  others  to  an  attack  of  an 
enemy."  This  enactment  had  a  limitation  in  point  of 
time  similar  to  the  preceding  one.  Subsequently  this 
Act  was  revived  on  June  8,  1702,  wuth  the  limitation, 
though  no  towns  are  specified  by  name ;  again  on 
June  28,  1706,  it  was  re-enacted,  to  remain  in  force 
until  June  29,  1707  ;  and  still  later,  but  not  for  the 
last  time,  it  was  passed  on  June  10,  1707.  This  con- 
tinuous legislation  to  prevent  the  desertion  of  the 
frontiers  shows  clearly  the  unsettled  condition  of  the 
outlying  towns  during  Queen  Anne's  War,  and  Gi'oton 
was  no  exception.  The  inhabitants  were  now  living 
in  constant  dread  of  the  savages.  Sometimes  an  ex- 
posed farm-house  was  attacked  and  burned,  some  of 
the  inmates  killed  and  others  carried  away  in  captiv- 
ity ;  sometimes  the  farmer  was  shot  down  while  at 
work  in  the  field,  or  while  going  or  coming.  This 
was  the  fate  of  John  Shattuck,  and  his  eldest  son  John, 
a  young  man  nineteen  years  of  age,  who  were  killed 
on  May  8,  1709. 

They  were  returning  from  the  west  side  of  the  Na- 
shua River,  where  Mr.  Shattuck  owned  land,  and 
were  attacked  just  as  they  were  crossing  the  Stony 
Fordway,  near  the  present  site  of  Hollingworth's  pa- 
per-mills, where  they  were  killed.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  Mr.  Shattuck  was  one  of  the  selectmen  of  the 
4 


50  GROTON. 

town.  During  the  autumn  of  1882  Messrs.  Tileston 
and  Hollingworth,  of  Boston,  at  that  time  the  owners 
of  the  mill,  caused  a  suitable  stone  to  be  placed  by 
the  wayside,  bearing  the  following  inscription  : 


NEAE   THIS   SPOT 

JOHN  SHATTUCK, 

A  SELECTMAN  OF  GBOTON, 

AND 

HIS   SON   JOHN 

•WERE   KILLF.D   BY   THE   INDIANS, 

May  8,  1709, 

WHILE  CROSSING  STONY   FORDWAY, 
JUST   BELOW   THE   PRESENT   DAM, 

1882. 


A  remarkable  fatality  seems  to  have  followed  Mrs. 
Shattuck's  kindred.  Her  husband  and  eldest  son 
were  killed  by  the  Indians,  as  has  just  been  mentioned. 
Her  father,  James  Blood,  Avas  likewise  killed,  Sep- 
tember 13,  1692.  So  also  were  her  uncle,  William 
Longley,  his  wife  and  five  children,  July  27,  1694  ; 
and  three  others  of  their  children  were  carried  away 
into  captivity  at  the  same  time.  A  relative,  James 
Parker,  Jr.,  and  his  wife  were  killed  in  this  assault, 
and  their  children  taken  prisoners.  Her  step- father, 
Enoch  Lawrence,  received  a  wound  in  an  engagement 
with  the  Indians,  probably  in  the  same  attack  of  July 
27,  1694,  which  almost  wholly  prevented  him  from 
earning  a  livelihood  for  himself  and  family.  The 
three  Tarbell  children,  who  were  carried  oif  to  Canada 
by  the  Indians,  June  20,  1707,  were  cousins  of  Mrs. 
Shattuck.     John  Ames,  who  was  shot  by  the  savages 


GROTON.  51 

at  the  gate  of  his  own  garrison,  July  9,  1724,  was  the 
father  of  Jacob,  who  married  her  niece,  Kuth  Shat- 
tuck.  And  lastly,  her  son-in-law,  Isaac  Lakin,  the 
husband  of  her  daughter  Elizabeth,  was  wounded  in 
Lovewell's  Fight  at  Pequawket,  May  8,  ]  725.  These 
calamities  covered  a  period  of  only  one  generation, 
extending  from  the  year  1692  to  1725. 

In  a  list  of  prisoners  held  by  the  French  and  In- 
dians in  Canada,  March  5,  1710-J 1,  are  the  names  of 
"Zech:  Tarbal,  John  Tarbal,  Sarah  Tarbal,  Matt. 
Farnsworth  [and]  Lydia  Longley  "  (Archives,  LXXI. 
765),  all  of  Groton,  though  no  date  of  capture  is 
given.  Lydia  Longley  was  taken  by  the  Indians  on 
July  27,  1694,  and  the  particulars  of  her  case  have 
already  been  told  ;  AFatthias  Farnsworth  was  captured 
in  the  summer  of  1704 ;  and  the  Tarbell  children  were 
carried  off  on  June  20,  1707.  Sarah,  John  and  Zech- 
ariah  were  children  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Wood) 
Tarbell,  who  with  a  large  family,  lived  on  Farmers' 
Row,  near  where  James  Lawrence's  house  now  stands. 
Sarah  was  a  girl  nearly  fourteen  years  of  age,  John  a 
iad  of  twelve  years  and  Zechariah  only  seven,  at  the 
time  when  they  were  taken.  They  were  near  kindred 
of  the  Longley  family,  who  had  been  massacred 
thirteen  years  before.  The  father  was  unquestionably 
the  Corporal  Tarbell  who  commanded,  in  the  autumn 
of  1711,  one  of  the  eighteen  garrisons  in  the  town. 

The  story  of  their  capture  and  captivity  is  a  singu- 
lar one,  and  sounds  like  a  romance.  They  were 
picking  cherries  early  one  evening, — so  tradition  re- 
lates,— and  were  taken  before  they  had  time  to  get 
down  from  the  tree.     It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that 


02  GROTOX. 

the  date  of  capture,  according  to  the  new  style  of 
reckoning,  was  July  1st,  when  cherries  would  be  ripe 
enough  to  tempt  the  appetite  of  climbing  youngsters. 
These  children  were  carried  to  Canada,  where,  it 
would  seem,  they  were  treated  kindly,  as  no  induce- 
ment afterward  was  strong  enough  to  make  them  re- 
turn permanently  to  their  old  home.  The  girl,  Sarah, 
was  sold  to  the  French,  and  placed  in  a  convent  at 
Lachine,  near  Montreal ;  but  what  became  of  her 
subsequently  I  am  unable  to  say. 

Thomas  Tarbell,  the  father  of  these  children,  made 
his  will  September  26,  1715,  which  was  admitted  to 
probate  six  weeks  later,  and  is  now  on  'file  at  the 
Middlesex  Probate  Office  in  East  Cambridge.  After 
making  certain  bequests  to  different  members  of  his 
family,  he  says : 

"all  the  rest  aud  residue  of  my  Reall  Estate  I  give  to  be  Equallj'  di- 
vided betweeu  my  three  children,  John,  Zacliary,  &  Sarah  Tarbell,  upon 
their  return  from  Captivity,  or  lu  Proportion  unto  an}'  of  them  that 
shall  return,  &  the  rest,  or  the  parts  belonging  to  them  that  do  not  re- 
turn, shall  be  Equally  divided  among  the  rest  of  my  children." 

During  my  visit  at  Montreal  in  the  sumnler  of 
1877,  I  saw  the  Congregation  of  Xotre  Dame,  the 
French  record,  of  which  the  following  is  a  trans- 
lation : 

"  On  Monday,  July  23,  1708,  the  ceremony  of  baptism  was  performed 
on  Sarah  Tarbell,  who  was  born  at  Groton  in  New  England,  October  9, 
1693.  Her  parents  were  Thomas  Tarbell  and  Elizabeth  "Wood,  both 
Protestants,  and  she  was  baptized  by  the  minister  shortly  after  her 
birth.  Having  been  taken  hy  the  savages  on  Blonday,  June  20,  1707, 
she  was  brought  to  Canada  ;  she  has  since  been  sold,  and  has  lived  with 
the  Sisters  of  the  Congregation  of  Notre  Dame,  established  at  Lachine, 
where  she  abjured  her  religion  on  May  1.  Her  godfather  was  M. 
Jacques  Urbaiu  Robert  de  Lamorandi^re,  Secretary  of  M.  1'  Intendant ; 


GROTOX.  53 

and  her  godmother  was  Madame  Marguerite  Boiiat,  wife  of  M.  Etienne 
Pascaud,  the  deputy  treasurer  of  the  King  in  this  country. 
Her  name  Sarah  has  been  changed  to  Marguerite. 
"  Signed, 

"MG*e  BOUAT, 

"Pascaud, 

"  Lamorandihee, 
"Meriel,  Pretre." 

The  boys  remained  for  many  years  with  their  cap- 
tors at  Caughnawaga,  an  Indian  village  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  St.  Lawrence  Eiver,  directly  opposite  to 
Lachine. 

It  is  supposed  that  they  left  this  place  about  the 
year  1760,  when  they  moved  up  the  river,  in  order  to 
establish  another  settlement. 

In  the  year  1713  John  Stoddard  and  John  Wil- 
liams were  appointed  by  Governor  Joseph  Dudley  to 
go  to  Quebec  and  treat  with  the  Governor-General 
of  Canada  for  the  release  of  the  New  England  pris- 
oners. They  were  accompanied  by  Thomas  Tarbell, 
— probably  the  elder  brother  of  the  boys, — and  we 
find  his  petition  presented  to  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives June  1,  1715,  "praying  consideration  and 
allowance  for  his  Time  and  Expences  in  going  to 
Canada,  with  Major  Stoddard  &  Mr.  Williams,  Anno 
1713,  to  recover  the  Captives." 

The  petition  was  referred,  and,  on  the  next  day, — 

"  Capt.  Noyes,  from  the  Committee  for  Petitions,  made  Report  on  the 
Petition  of  Thomas  Tarioll,  viz.  That  they  are  of  Opinion  that  nothing 
is  due  from  the  Province  to  the  said  Tarholl,  since  he  proceeded  as  a 
Volunteer  in  that  Service  to  Canada,  &  not  imployed  by  the  Govern- 
ment, but  recommended  him  to  the  favour  of  the  House." 

The  report  was  accepted,  and,  in  consideration  of 
TarbelPs  services,  he  was  allowed  ten  pounds  out  of 


54  GROTON. 

the  public  treasury.  Captain  Stoddard's  Journal, 
giving  an  account  of  the  negotiations,  is  printed  in 
''The  New  England  Historical  and  Genealogical 
Register"  (v.  26),  for  January,  1851,  and  Tarbeli's 
name  is  mentioned  in  it. 

We  find  no  further  trace  of  these  boys,  now  grown 
up  to  manhood,  during  the  twenty-five  years  follow- 
ing this  attempt  to  release  the  New  England  pris- 
oners. In  the  winter  of  1739  John  and  Zechariah 
Tarbell  came  back  to  Groton  in  order  to  visit  their 
kinsfolk  and  see  their  native  town.  They  were  so 
young  when  carried  away  that  their  recollections  of 
the  place  were  of  course  very  indistinct.  It  is  not 
known  now  under  what  circumstances  or  influences 
they  returned.  An  itemized  bill  of  the  expense  in- 
curred in  bringing  them  back  from  Canada  was 
made  out  against  their  brothers,  Thomas  and  Samuel, 
and  perhaps  paid  by  them.  Shortly  afterward  Thomas 
Tarbell  petitioned  the  General  Court  for  means  to 
enable  him  to  meet  the  necessary  charges  of  the 
journey,  besides  the  expenses  of  an  interpreter ;  and 
a  conditional  loan  was  granted. "  The  record  does  not 
say  whether  it  was  ever  paid  back  by  him.  The  pa- 
pers relating  to  the  subject  are  among  the  Massachu- 
setts Archives  (XV.  A,  15-19). 

On  April  20,  1739,  Governor  Belcher  brought  the 
case  of  these  captives  to  the  attention  of  the  Council 
and  the  House  of  Representatives,  when  he  made  a 
speech,  in  which  he  said  : 

"  There  are  latelj'  come  from  Canada  some  Persons  that  were  taken 
by  the  Indians  from  Groton  above  thirty  Years  ago,  who  (its  believed) 
may  be  induced  to  return  into  this  Province,  on  your  giving  them  some 
propf^r  Encouragement :   If  this  Matter  might  be  effected,   I  should 


GROTON.  55 

think  it  would  be  not  only  an  Act  of  Compassion  in  order  to  reclaim 
them  from  the  Errors  and  Delusions  of  the  Eomish  faith  ;  but  their 
living  among  us  might,  in  Time  to  come,  be  of  great  Advantage  to  the 
Province." 

On  the  same  day  the  subject  was  referred  to  a 
Committee  of  the  House,  who  reported  a  resolution 
which  was  sent  to  the  Council  for  concurrence;  and 
on  several  occasions  within  a  short  time  the  same 
question  came  up  in  different  forms. 

All  these  efforts,  however,  to  reclaim  the  two  men 
from  savage  life  proved  unavailing  ;  for  it  is  known 
that  they  remained  with  the  Indians  and  became  nat- 
uralized, if  I  may  use  the  expression.  They  married 
Indian  wives,  and  were  afterward  made  chiefs  at 
Caughnawaga  and  St.  Regis,  villages  in  Canada. 
Their  descendants  are  still  living  among  the  Indians, 
and  the  Tarbells  of  the  present  day,  in  this  town,  are 
their  collateral  kindred.  Nearly  forty  years  after 
their  capture,  Governor  Hutchinson  met  them  in 
New  York  State,  and  in  his  "  History  of  the  Province 
of  Massachusetts  Bay"  refers  to  them  thus  : — 

"I  saw  at  Albany  two  or  three  men,  in  the  year  1744,  who  came  in 
with  the  Indians  to  trade,  and  who  had  been  taken  at  Groton  in  this, 

that  is  called  Queen  Ann's  war.     One  of  them, Tarbell,  was  said 

to  be  one  of  the  wealthiest  of  the  Cagnawaga  tribe.  He  made  a  visit  in 
his  Indian  dress,  and  with  his  Indian  complexion  (for  by  means  of 
grease  and  paints  but  little  difference  could  be  discerned)  to  his  rela- 
tions at  Groton,  but  had  no  inclination  to  remain  there."  (II.  139.) 

Some  years  after  this  time,  these  two  young  men — 
now  occupying  the  position  of  chiefs — moved  up  the 
St.  Lawrence  River,  accompanied  by  several  others, 
all  with  their  families,  and  established  the  village  of 
St.  Regis.  This  Indian  settlement  is  pleasantly  situ- 
ated  on  the  right  bank  of  the  St.   Lawrence,   the 


56  GROTOX. 

boundary  line  which  separates  the  State  of  New  York 
from  Canada  running  through  it.  From  its  peculiar 
position,  it  was  agreed,  during  the  last  war  with  Eng- 
land, that  the  Indians  should  remain  neutral,  but  the 
compact  was  often  broken.  In  the  summer  of  1852 
the  tribe  numbered  about  eleven  hundred  persons,  of 
whom  it  is  said  that  not  one  was  of  pure  Indian  origin. 

Many  interesting  facts  concerning  the  Tarbells  at 
St.  Eegis  are  found  in  the  "  History  of  St.  Lawrence 
and  Franklin  Counties,  Xew  York"'  (Albany,  1853), 
by  Dr.  Franklin  B.  Hough.  A  part  of  the  village 
comes  within  the  limits  of  Franklin  County ;  and  the 
author  has  gathered  up  some  of  the  stories  still  told 
about  these  two  brothers  in  that  neighborhood. 

In  former  years  the  St.  Regis  Indians  had  certain 
rights  in  a  land  reservation  in  the  State  of  Xew  York ; 
and  more  than  once  treaties  were  made  between  the 
Governor  of  the  State  and  the  chiefs  of  the  tribe, 
among  whom  were  descendants  of  these  Tarbell  boys. 
A  treaty  was  signed  on  February  20, 1818,  in  behalf  of 
the  Indians,  by  Loran  Tarbell  and  Thomas  Tarbell, 
and  two  other  chiefs.  Another  treaty  was  signed  on 
September  23,  1825,  by  eleven  chiefs  and  trustees  of 
the  tribe,  including  Peter  Tarbell,  Thomas  Tarbell, 
Mitchel  Tarbell,  Louis  Tarbell,  and  Battice  Tarbell. 
Some  of  these  names,  I  am  sure,  will  sound  familiar 
to  the  older  inhabitants  of  Groton.  It  is  very  likely 
that  Battice  is  the  same  as  Sabattis,  an  Indian  name, 
which  is  said  to  be  a  corruption  of  Saint  Baptiste. 

Dr.  Hough  Avrites  about  one  of  the  earlier  members 
of  the  family  as  follows  : — 

"A  half-breed  Tiidian,  who  usually  Avas  known  as  Petek  the  Big 


GROTON.  57 

Speak,  was  a  son  of  Lesor  Tarbell,  one  of  the  lads  who  had  been 
stolen  away  from  Groton  by  the  Indians,  and  who  subsequently  be- 
came one  of  the  tirst  settlers  who  preceded  the  founding  of  St.  Regis. 

"  He  was  a  man  of  much  address  and  ability  as  a  speaker,  and  was 
selected  as  the  mouthpiece  of  the  tribe  on  the  more  important  occasions 
that  presented  themselves."     (Page  182.) 

The  statement  is  wrong,  however,  that  Lesor  was 
the  name  of  one  of  the  captured  boys.  It  is  perfectly- 
well  known  that  their  names  were  John  and  Zecha- 
riah,  but  it  is  not  improbable  that  one  of  their  sons 
was  named  Lesor.  If  such  was  the  case,  it  was  in- 
tended, doubtless,  for  Eleazer,  the  name  of  their 
youngest  brother,  who  was  less  than  two  months  old 
when  they  were  carried  off.  It  certainly  would  be  a 
touching  tribute  to  their  childish  recollections  if  they 
had  remembered  this  little  babe  at  home  and  carried 
him  in  their  thoughts  for  so  many  years. 

In  the  summer  of  1877  I  visited  St.  Regis,  where  I 
met  a  grandson  of  one  of  the  Tarbell  captives.  He 
was  more  than  eighty  years  old,  and  could  speak  only 
Indian  ;  and  I  had  to  talk  with  him  through  an  inter- 
preter, I  learned  that  he  was  aware  that  his  grand- 
father had  been  taken  when  a  boy,  from  a  town  near 
Boston,  and  that  he  had  kinsfolk  still  living  there. 
What  interested  me  exceedingly  was- the  physical  re- 
semblance between  him  and  some  of  his  collateral 
relations,  who  lived  and  died  at  Squannacook  within 
my  recollection.  He  was  a  man  of  ordinary  size,  with 
a  sunburnt  face  and  gray  hair,  though  somewhat  bald. 
There  was  but  little  appearance  of  Indian  blood  in  his 
veins,  and  he  would  have  passed  anywhere  for  a  good- 
looking  old  man.  He  lived  with  one  of  his  sons  in  a 
small  house  that  was  clapboarded  and  painted, — and 


58  GROTON. 

one  of  the  best  in  the  village, — where,  surrounded  by 
his  grandchildren,  he  was  passing  the  declining  years 
of  his  life  in  comfortable  ease. 

During  the  summer  of  1723  "  the  Indian  enemy" — 
as  the  early  settlers  were  wont  to  call  them — still 
threatened  the  western  frontier  towns.  On  August 
16,  1723,  according  to  the  printed  Journal  of  the 
House  of  Representatives,  Lieutenant-Governor  Dum- 
mer,  at  that  time  the  acting  Governor  of  the  Prov- 
ince, was  desired  immediately  to  order  detachments 
of  men,  varying  from  three  to  six,  from  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  several  towns  along  the  line  of  outer  set- 
tlements, to  be  constantly  employed  in  scouting  and 
ranging  the  woods  in  their  respective  towns  ;  and  un- 
der this  order  Groton  was  to  have  six.  On  August 
24th  it  was  ordered  by  the  House  of  Representatives 
that  these  scouts  should  be  placed  under  the  direction 
of  the  chief  military  officer  of  the  several  towns,  and 
such  officer  should  receive  five  shillings  a  week  for 
his  services.  Owing  to  informalities  in  the  matter,  a 
dispute  arose  between  the  House  and  the  Lieutenant- 
Governor,  who  within  two  days  sent  two  messages 
to  that  body,  and  some  slight  modifications  were 
made  in  the  original  draft. 

Penhallow,  in  "  The  History  of  the  Wars  of  Xew- 
England,"  speaking  of  the  Indians  at  this  period, 
says: 

"  The  next  damage  they  did  was  at  Groton,  but  were  so  closely  pur- 
sued, that  they  left  several  of  their  Packs  behind."     (Page  102.) 

It  was  on  Thursday,  July  9,  1724,  that  John  Ames 
was  shot  by  an  Indian,  one  of  a  small  party  that 
attacked  his  garrison  in  the  northwesterly  part  of  the 


GROTON.  59 

town.  Ames  lived  on  the  north  side  of  the  Nashua 
Eiver,  a  short  distance  below  the  Hollingsworth 
paper-mills.  He  is  said  to  be  the  last  person  killed 
by  an  Indian  within  the  township.  The  Indian  him- 
self was  immediately  afterward  shot  by  Jacob  Ames, 
one  of  John's  sons.  The  Boston  Gazette,  July  18, 
1724,  thus  refers  to  the  event : 

"A  man  was  kiU'd  last  Week  at  Groton,  by  the  Indians,  and  't  is  sup- 
pos'd  one  Indian  was  kill'd  by  one  of  our  Men  in  the  Garrison  ;  the  In- 
dians left  their  Packs,  5  in  number,  which  were  taken  and  secur'd  by  the 
English." 

In  the  Gazette  of  July  27th  it  is  said  that  "An  Indian 
Scalp  was  brought  to  Town  last  Week  from  Groton  J' 

The  New  England  Courant,  July  13,  1724,  reports 
that ''  Last  Week  the  Indians  kill'd  a  Man  at  Groton, 
and  had  one  of  their  own  Men  very  much  wounded." 
The  same  newspaper,  in  its  issue  of  July  27th,  says 
that  "  The  Scalp  of  an  Indian  lately  kill'd  at  Gro- 
ton is  brought  to  Town." 

Jacob  Ames'  petition  for  an  "Allowance"  or  boun- 
ty, for  killing  the  savage,  is  found  in  the  printed 
Journal  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  November 
20,  1724. 

In  the  summer  of  1722  the  Provincial  governments 
of  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire  offered  a  bounty 
of  a  hundred  pounds  for  every  Indian's  scalp  that 
should  be  taken  and  shown  to  the  proper  authorities. 
This  legislation  incited  volunteers  to  scour  the  wilder- 
ness for  the  purpose  of  hunting  the  savages,  and  with 
this  motive  Captain  John  Lovewell,  of  Dunstable, 
organized  a  company  which  soon  became  famous. 

The  story  of  Lovewell's  Fight  was  for  a  long  time 


60  GROTOX. 

repeatedly  told  in  this  neighborhood,  and  there  is 
scarcely  a  person  who  has  not  from  early  infancy 
heard  the  particulars  of  that  eventful  conflict.  It 
was  in  the  spring  of  1725  that  Captain  Lovewell,  with 
thirty-four  men,  fought  a  famous  Indian  chief,  named 
Paugus,  at  the  head  of  about  eighty  savages,  near  the 
shores  of  a  pond  in  Pequawket,  now  within  the  limits 
of  Fryeburg,  Maine,  and  known  as  Lovewell's  Pond. 
Of  this  little  Spartan  band,  seven  belonged  in  this 
town ;  and  one  of  them,  John  Chamberlain  by  name, 
distinguished  himself  by  killing  the  Indian  leader. 

The  fullest  account  of  the  Fight  is  found  in  a 
pamphlet  entitled,  "  Loveiuell  Lamented,  or,  A 
SEEMOX  occasion'd  by  the  Fall  of  the  Brave  Capt. 
John  Lovewell  and  Several  of  his  Valiant  COM- 
PANY, in  the  late  Heroic  Action  at  Piggwacket  Pro- 
nounc'd  at  Bradford,  May  16,  1725  By  Thomafi 
/S'ywwie.s,  Y.D.M."  (Boston,  1725.)  The  sermon  con- 
tains an  historical  preface,  duly  attested  by  three  of 
the  company,  which  gives  many  particulars  of  this 
ill-fated  expedition.  It  includes  a  list  of  the  men  who 
took  part  in  the  fight,  with  the  names  of  the  killed 
and  wounded.  According  to  this  list,  the  following 
Groton  men  were  members  of  Lovewell's  company 
and  present  during  the  action  :  John  Jefts,  Daniel 
Woods,  Thomas  Woods,  John  Chamberlain,  Elias 
Barron,  John  Gilson  [Isaac  Lakin?],  Joseph  Gil- 
son  ;  of  whom  Thomas  Woods,  Daniel  Woods  and 
John  Jefts  were  killed  in  the  fight,  and  Elias  Bar- 
ron, John  Chamberlain  and  John  Gilson  [Isaac 
Lakin?],  wounded.  It  is  stated  by  Mr.  Symmes,  in 
his  preface,  that  Barron  subsequently  "  strayed  from 


GROTON.  61 

the  rest,  and  got  over  Ossipy  River,  by  the  side  of 
which  his  Gun  Case  was  found,  &  he  has  ner  been 
heard  of  since."  (Page  viii.)  Joseph  Gilson  was  the 
only  one  of  this  quota  who  escaped  injury. 

The  first  edition  of  the  sermon  was  pub- 
lished on  July  1st,  and  exhausted  in  a  very  few  days. 
A  second  edition  was  issued  about  the  middle  of 
July,  with  a  title-page  somewhat  changed  from  the 
original  one,  as  follows  :  "  Historical  Memoirs  Of  the 
Late  Fight  at  Piggwacket,  with  a  SERMON  Occa- 
sion'd  by  the  Fall  of  the  Brave  Capt  John  Lovewell 
And  Several  of  his  Valiant  Company;  in  the  late 
Heroic  Action  there.  Prouounc'd  at  Bradford,  May 
16,  1725  By  Thomas  Symmes,  V.D.M.  The  Sec- 
ond Edition  Corrected."  (Boston,  1725.)  In  this 
edition  the  running  title  of  "  An  Historical 
PREFACE"  is  changed  to  "  Memoirs  of  the  Fight  at 
Piggwacket."  A  few  corrections  are  made ;  in  the 
list  both  of  the  soldiers  and  of  the  wounded,  the 
name  of  Isaac  Lakin  is  given  in  the  place  of  John 
Gilson's. 

Captain  Lovewell,  the  commander  of  the  company, 
was  a  brave  officer  and  a  noted  man.  He  was  at  this 
time  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  ambitious  to  distinguish 
himself.  He  had  previously  led  two  successful  expe- 
ditions against  the  Indians,  and  his  very  name  in- 
spired confidence.  Only  a  few  weeks  before,  his  sec- 
ond expedition  had  returned  to  Dover,  New  Hamp- 
shire, where  he  made  a  triumphal  entry  at  the  head 
of  his  company.  They  bore  ten  Indian  scalps 
stretched  on  hoops,  and  were  received  with  great  joy 
and  excitement;   thence  they  proceeded  to  Boston, 


62  GROTON. 

where  they  were  paid  a  large  bounty  by  the  govern- 
ment. The  following  Groton  men  were  members  of 
the  company  which  went  on  this  second  expedition  : 
Jacob  Ames,  Ephraim  Farnsworth,  Reuben  Farns- 
worth,  Benjamin  Parker,  Samuel  Shattuck,  Samuel 
Tarbell  and  Henry  Willard.  Throughout  New  Eng- 
and,  Lovewell's  daring  was  made  the  subject  of  talk, 
and  the  public  looked  to  him  as  a  natural  leader  in 
border  warfare. 

With  the  small  force  now  at  his  command,  the 
heroic  captain  pressed  forward  to  meet  the  enemy, 
and  in  a  few  days  reached  the  borders  of  Saco  Pond, 
since  known  as  Lovewell's  Pond,  southeast  of  the 
present  village  of  Fryeburg,  Maine.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  Saturday,  May  8th,  while  engaged  at  prayers 
they  heard  a  gun,  and  shortly  afterward  discovered 
an  Indian  on  a  point  of  land  which  ran  into  the 
pond.  They  were  distrustful  of  an  ambush,  and  a 
consultation  was  held  in  order  to  see  whether  they 
should  advance  or  retreat.  Their  decision  was  to  pro- 
ceed at  all  hazards.  They  said:  "  We  came  out  to 
meet  the  Enemy  ;  we  have  all  along  prayed  GOD  we 
might  find  'em  ;  and  we  had  rather  trust  Providence 
with  our  Lives,  yea  Dy  for  our  Country,  than  try  to 
Return  without  seeing  them,  if  we  may,  and  be  called 
Cowards  for  our  Pains."  After  this  answer,  Lovewell 
ordered  his  men  to  move  forward  cautiously  ;  and 
they  soon  reached  a  place  where  they  halted  and  took 
off  their  packs,  and  piled  them  up  together.  Leaving 
these  behind  without  a  guard,  and  advancing  a  short 
distance,  they  came  upon  the  Indian  whom  they  had 
previously  descried.     He  was  returning  to  his  com- 


C4R0T0N.  63 

paniona  with  some  game  that  he  had  killed.  Several 
guns  were  instantly  discharged  at  him,  when  he  in 
turn  fired  and  wounded  Captain  Lovewell  and  another 
man;  after  which  he  was  killed  and  scalped.  The 
company  then  turned  back,  and  with  their  wounded 
leader  repaired  to  the  place  where  they  had  left  their 
packs.  In  the  meanwhile  Paugus,  the  far-famed 
chief  of  the  Pequawkets,  at  the  head  of  eighty  war- 
riors on  their  way  home  from  a  marauding  expedi- 
tion, had  discovered  the  pile  of  packs,  and,  counting 
them,  had  learned  the  number  of  the  English.  Find- 
ing that  the  force  was  much  less  than  his  own,  Paugus 
placed  his  men  in  ambush  and  awaited  the  return  of 
Lovewell.  When  the  company  came  up  for  their 
packs,  the  Indians  with  hideous  yells  rushed  forth 
suddenly  from  their  hiding-places  and  began  to  fire. 
The  brave  captain  ordered  his  men  to  return  it,  which 
was  done  with  terrible  effect.  Lovewell  himself  fell 
at  the  first  shot,  and  eight  of  his  men  soon  shared  the 
same  fate.  Ensign  Wyman,  of  Woburn,  then  as- 
sumed the  command,  and,  perceiving  that  the  Indians 
were  trying  to  surround  them,  ordered  a  retreat  to  the 
pond,  where  he  took  his  stand.  A  ledge  of  rocks  pro- 
jecting into  the  water  on  one  side  of  him,  and  a  deep 
brook  on  the  other,  made  a  position  favorable  for  de- 
fence. The  fighting  continued,  and  during  the  day 
the  savages  vainly  endeavored  to  compel  the  valiant 
band  to  surrender ;  but  they  would  not  listen  to  the 
proposition.  Paugus  was  slain  in  the  action  by  John 
Chamberlain,  of  Groton.  After  the  death  of  their 
chief  the  Indians  became  somewhat  disheartened, 
and  for  a  time  withdrew  from  the  skirmish.     Later  in 


64  GROTOX. 

the  day  the  combat  was  resumed,  when,  it  is  supposed, 
the  enemy  received  reinforcements,  but  with  no  deci- 
sive result.  As  night  approached  they  again  with- 
drew, and  left  this  little  forlorn  band  masters  of  the 
field. 

About  midnight  the  survivors,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  three  men  mortally  wounded  and  unable  to 
travel,  fell  back  and  directed  their  course  to  the  fort, 
where  they  expected  to  find  their  former  companions ; 
but  in  this  hope  they  were  sadly  disappointed.  It 
seems  that,  at  the  beginning  of  the  fight,  a  member  of 
the  company,  escaping,  made  his  way  to  the  fort,  and 
reported  that  Lovewell  and  his  men  were  all  cut  to 
pieces,  which  he  may  have  believed.  Disappointed 
at  finding  the  fort  abandoned,  the  survivors  of  this 
memorable  command  made  their  way  back  to  the  set- 
tlements as  best  they  could,  coming  in  at  difierent 
places  along  the  frontier  line. 

The  name  of  Lovewell  at  once  becjime  famous,  and 
the  story  of  the  expedition  was  told  in  every  house- 
hold, and  even  in  the  pulpit.  It  was  made  the  subject 
of  ballads,  which  were  sung  at  family  firesides,  and 
excited  the  popular  heart  with  the  memory  of  the 
brave  and  adventurous  leader.  Peace  soon  followed 
the  action  at  Pequawket,  and  deep  and  sincere  was 
the  public  feeling  at  its  restoration. 

John  Chamberlain,  the  surviving  hero  of  Lovewell's 
Fight,  was  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  Cham- 
berlain, of  Chelmsford,  where  he  was  born  March  29, 
1692.  The  father  was  a  carpenter  and  miller,  who 
afterwards  removed  to  Grotou,  and  lived  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  northerly  of  Wattle's  Pond,  on  the 


GROTOX.  65 

left-hand  side  of  the  road  to  Hollis.  He  is  supposed 
to  have  died  about  the  year  1709.  After  the  fight 
the  son  was  known  as  "Paugus  Joliu,"  and  bore  that 
name  through  life.  He  owned  a  mill,  situated  near 
Brown  Loaf,  on  a  small  stream  formed  hj  the  con- 
fluence of  Martin's  Pond  Brook  and  another,  now 
called  Paugus  Brook. 

His  death  took  place  about  the  year  1756,  though 
no  record  of  it  is  found.  The  appraisal  of  his  estate 
was  made  on  March  31,  1756,  according  to  papers  on 
file  in  the  Middlesex  Probate  OtRce  at  East  Cam- 
bridge. 

If  ever  young  Paugus  came  to  Groton  in  order  to 
avenge  his  father's  death,  and  it  seems  probable  from 
tradition  that  he  did,  it  was  undoubtedly  at  this  place, 
Furthermore,  there  is  a  deep  hole  in  Paugus  Brook, 
known  since  the  last  century  as  Paugus  Hole,  where- 
in it  is  said  that  Chamberlain  sunk  the  body  of  the 
Indian,  after  he  had  killed  him.  A  small  elm  stands 
on  the  south  bank  of  the  brook,  very  near  the  place. 

Many  other  tales  about  the  Indians  have  come 
down  by  tradition,  and  some  of  them  are  probably 
true.  The  following  story,  told  me  by  the  late  Charles 
Woolley,  refers  to  Isaac  Lakin,  one  of  Lovewell's 
men : 

Lakin  lived  in  a  log-house  near  the  Nashua  River, 
in  the  north  part  of  the  town.  The  house  had  no 
glass  windows,  but  had  shutters  instead,  and  a  door 
that  swung  on  wooden  hinges.  One  day  an  Indian 
was  seen  lurking  about  the  house,  and  hiding  behind 
the  stumps,  apparently  bent  on  mischief.  Lakin 
seized  his  gun,  and,  standins:  at  a  crack  in  the 
6 


66  GROTON. 

shutters,  told  his  wife  to  swing  the  door  so  that  it 
would  creak  on  its  hinges.  Hearing  the  noise,  and 
seeing  the  door  open,  the  Indian  sprang  from  behind 
a  stump,  and  started  for  the  house,  when  Lakin  fired 
and  shot  him  dead.  Seeing  no  sign  of  other  Indians, 
after  dark  he  dug  a  hole  and  buried  him. 

In  the  year  1744  war  was  again  declared  between 
England  and  France,  called  by  the  English  colonists 
King  George's  War.  Civilization  had  now  pushed 
the  belt  of  frontier  towns  far  into  the  wilderness  ;  and 
Groton  was  no  longer  exposed  to  the  assaults  of  the 
Indians,  though  at  times  threatened  with  danger. 
Her  sons  and  soldiers,  however,  were  still  found 
during  this  period,  on  the  outer  rim  of  settlements, 
whenever  and  wherever  their  services  were  needed, 
either  to  extend  the  borders  or  to  defend  them.  A 
military  organization  was  kept  up  in  the  town,  ready 
for  emergencies  here  or  elsewhere  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. 

The  first  settlement  of  Charlestown,  N.  H. — then 
known  as  Xo.  4, — was  made  in  the  year  1740,  by  three 
brothers,  Samuel,  David,  and  Stephen  Farnsworth, 
natives  of  Groton ;  and  they  were  soon  followed  by 
Isaac  Parker  and  his  sons,  and  Obadiah  Sawtell,  also 
of  this  town.  The  Farnsworths  were  leading  men  at 
Charlestown,  and  they  distinguished  themselves  on 
several  occasions  in  fights  with  the  Indians.  Samuel 
Farnsworth,  the  eldest  brother,  was  killed  in  a 
skirmish,  May  2,  1746.  David  was  taken  prisone  r 
by  a  party  of  French  Indians,  April  20,  1757,  and 
carried  to  Canada.  He  managed  to  escape,  and 
reached  home  not  a  long  time  probably  after  his  cap- 


GROTON.  gi^ 

ture.  Stephen,  the  yoimgest  brother,  had  also  his 
bitter  experience  with  the  enemy.  He  was  captured 
April  19,  1,4b,  and  taken  to  Montreal,  where  he  re- 
mained seventeen  long  months  before  he  was  ex 
changed.  His  health  was  so  broken  down  by  the 
hardships  of  his  captivity  that  he  never  fullv  regained 
It.  He  died  September  6,  1771,  leaving  behind  the 
reputation  of  a  brave  man  and  a  good  citizen 

Ebenezer  Farnsworth,  a  native  of  Groton  and  a 
kinsman  of  the  three  brothers  just  mentioned,  was 
captured  August  30, 1754.  by  the  St.  Francis  Indians, 
atCharlestown.  He  was  carried  to  Montreal  and  held 
a  prisoner  during  three  year...     His  ransom  was  paid 

libe  ty  Mrs,  Susanna  Johnson  and  her..ister,  Miriam 
WiMard,  were  taken  at  the  same  time.  They  were 
both  daughters  of  Moses  Willard,  who  had  formerly 
ived  in  the  .south  part  of  this  town.  A  full  account  of 
the  affair  is  given  in  "  A  Narrative  of  the  Captivity 
of  Mrs.  Johnson,"  published  at  Walpole.  New  Hamp- 

Moses  W.I  ard,  the  father,  was  killed  by  the  Indians 

Mo?e,  t   7";   '""^  '"   "^'^   '^""^  ""'"^'^   his  son 
h7nr'  /:i  "  "''"'"''  ""'"P^  ^'""^  death  by  the 

ha^nds  of  the  savages,  being  severely  wounded  ai  the 

Lieutenant  Isaac  Parker    was  taken    by  the    In- 
dians at  the  same  time  with  Stephen   Fa'rnslrth, 
and  remained  in  captivity  until  the  following  winter 
when   he  was  returned   to   Boston   under  a'fllfof 

TheSawtell  family  is  also  largely  represented  in 


68  GROTOX. 

Charlestown,  Avhere  the  name  is  now  spelled  Sartwell. 
It  is  a  numerous  family  in  that  town,  and  they  sprang 
from  the  early  settler,  Obadiah,  who  went  from 
Groton.  He,  too,  had  a  sad  experience  in  savage 
warfare,  and  once  was  captured  by  the  Indians.  He 
was  taken  by  them  on  May  24,  1746,  and  remained  a 
prisoner  until  August  20,  1747.  He  finally  met  his 
death  at  their  hands  on  Juae  17, 1749,  being  attacked 
while  ploughing  in  his  corn-field,  unsuspicious  of  any 
danger. 

Charles  Holden,  Isaac  Holden  and  Seth  Walker, 
natives  of  Groton,  were  early  settlers  and  proprietors 
of  Charlestown.  Moses  Wheeler  was  another  pioneer 
and  a  distinguished  soldier,  taking  part  in  some  of 
the  fiercest  encounters  of  the  French  and  Indian 
War.  He  was  a  large  man  and  noted  for  his  strength. 
He  was  called  by  the  Indians  "  the  strong  man." 
Moses  Willard,  Isaac  Farwell  and  Micha  Fuller,  other 
settlers,  were  also  from  this  town.  Eieazer  Priest, 
sou  of  Joseph  Priest,  of  Groton,  and  a  soldier,  w^as 
captured  by  the  Indians,  on  March  15,  1748,  at 
Charlestown,  and  died  at  Louisburg,  Xova  Scotia,  in 
September  of  that  year,  while  on  his  way  home. 

The  earliest  minister  of  Groton  was  the  Reverend 
John  Miller,  who  graduated  at  Gonvil  and  Caius  Col- 
lege, Cambridge,  England,  in  the  year  1627,  and  came 
to  this  country  in  1637.  For  a  short  time  he  lived  in 
Roxbury,  where  he  was  one  of  the  elders  in  Eliot's 
church.  From  the  year  1639  to  1641,  and  perhaps 
later,  he  was  settled  in  the  ministry  at  Rowley  as  as- 
sistant to  the  Reverend  Ezekiel  Rogers ;  and  during 
this  period  he  filled  the  office  of  town  clerk.     He  was 


GROTON.  69 

made  a  freeman  of  Massachusetts  on  May  22, 1639.  In 
the  autumn  of  1641  he  was  waited  on  by  messengers  from 
Woburn,  who  desired  his  services  for  their  church  ; 
but  they  found  "  Mr.  Eoggers  loth  to  part  with  him.'* 
Johnson,  in  his  "  Wonder- Working  Providence  of 
Sion's  Saviour,  in  New^  England,"  refers  to  him  both 
in  prose  and  verse.  The  following  is  a  specimen  of 
the  poetry  : — 

"  With  courage  bold  3Iiller  through  Seas  doth  venter. 
To  Toyl  it  out  in  the  great  Western  tvast, 
Tity  stature  low  one  object  high  doth  center  ; 
Higher  than  Heaven  thy  faith  on  Christ  is  plac't:  " 

—Chap.  XI.,  p.  131. 

From  Eowley  Mr.  Miller  removed  to  Yarmouth, 
where  he  was  settled  as  a  preacher,  though  the  date  of 
his  removal  to  that  town  is  not  recorded.  Nor  is  it 
known  exactly  when  he  came  to  Groton,  but  probably 
at  some  time  during  1662,  as  in  that  year  the  town 
voted  to  build  a  house  for  the  minister.  On  March 
18,  1663,  a  vote  was  passed  asking  him  "  to  continue 
still  with  vs  for  our  further  edificat[ion],"  which 
shows  that  he  was  preaching  at  that  date;  but  in  three 
short  months  his  labors  ceased  and  he  went  to  take 
his  reward.  In  the  first  return  of  deaths,  made  by 
the  town  clerk  of  Groton  to  the  recorder  of  the 
county,  it  says: — 

"  M^  Jn°.  Miller,  minister  of  Gods  holy  word  died. 
June  12^^  1663." 

The  second  minister  of  Groton  was  the  Reverend 
Samuel  Willard,  a  son  of  Major  Simon  and  Mary 
(Sharpe)  Willard,  and  born  at  Concord,  on  January 
31,  1639-40.     He   graduated  at  Harvard  College  in 


70  GROTON. 

the  class  of  1659,  and  was  the  only  member  who 
took  his  second  degree.  He  began  to  preach  at  Gro- 
ton  probably  late  in  the  year  1662,  or  early  in  1663. 
In  the  latter  year,  on  the  21st  of  June,  it  was  voted 
"  that  M^  Willard  if  he  accept  of  it  shall  be 
their  minester  as  long  as  he  lines  w''  M^  Willard  ac- 
cepts Except  a  manifest  providenc  of  God  apears  to 
take  him  off." 

Mr.  Willard  was  a  scholar  and  writer  of  consider- 
able note  in  his  day,  and  even  now  would  be  con- 
sidered such.  But  little  is  known  of  his  early  history  ; 
and  no  church-record  during  his  ministry  at  Groton 
is  extant.  Coming  here  in  the  vigor  of  young  man- 
hood, at  the  age  of  twenty-three, — if  we  may  judge 
him  from  the  high  position  he  afterward  attained, — it 
is  fair  to  assume  that  he  exerted  a  strong  influence  in 
this  neighborhood.  It  is  probable  that  his  early  ex- 
periences on  the  outer  rim  of  civilization  fitted  him 
for  the  places  of  honor  and  dignity  that  he  was  subse- 
quently called  upon  to  fill.  A  few  weeks  after  his 
settlement  he  married  Abigail,  a  daughter  of  John 
Sherman,  minister  of  Watertown ;  and,  after  her 
death,  he  married,  as  his  second  wife,  Eunice,  daughter 
of  Edward  Tyng.  He  had  a  large  family  of  children, 
of  whom  five  were  born  in  this  town.  One  of  his 
great-grandsons,  Robert  Treat  Paine,  was  a  signer  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

In  the  year  1673,  Mr.  Willard  published  a  volume 
of  sermons  entitled,  "  Useful  Instructions  for  a  pro- 
fessing People  in  Times  of  great  Security  and  Degen- 
eracy :  delivered  in  several  Sermons  on  Solemn 
Occasions." 


GROTON.  71 

It  consists  of  three  sermons,  of  which  one  was 
preached  on  the  occasion  of  a  case  of  witchcraft  which 
occurred  in  Grotoc.  It  is  evident,  from  a  reference  in 
the  sermon,  that  the  fame  or  notoriety  of  the  case  had 
spread  far  from  this  town.  Mr.  Willard  says  :  "  There 
is  a  voice  in  it  to  the  w^hole  Land,  but  in  a  more  es- 
pecial manner  to  poor  Groton  ;  it  is  not  a  Judgement 
afar  off,  but  it  is  near  us,  yea  among  us." 

The  book  is  inscribed,  "  To  his  Beloved  Friends  the 
Inhabitants  of  Groton."  Like  all  the  publications  of 
that  time,  it  is  purely  theological,  and  contains 
nothing  now  of  particular  interest.  If  he  had  given 
us  even  a  few  lines  of  town  history,  it  would  be  almost 
invaluable.  We  look  in  vain  through  its  pages  for  any 
thing  that  throws  light  on  the  manners  and  customs 
of  the  early  settlers.  AVe  do  find,  however,  the  modes 
and  habit  J)  of  thought  that  were  prevalent  in  those 
days ;  and  with  these  we  must  be  content,  for  the  ser- 
mons furnish  nothing  more. 

After  the  town  was  burned  by  the  Indians  in  the 
spring  of  1676  and  the  settlement  deserted,  Mr.  Wil- 
lard became  the  pastor  of  the  Old  South  Church  in 
Boston,  where  he  died  on  September  12,  1707. 

The  third  minister  was  the  Reverend  Gershom  Ho- 
bart,  a  son  of  the  Reverend  Peter  Hobart,  of  Hing- 
ham,  and  a  graduate  of  Harvard  College  in  the  class 
of  1667.  In  the  early  spring  of  1678,  just  two  years 
after  the  attack  on  the  town,  the  old  settlers  returned 
to  their  former  houses ;  and  Mr.  Hobart  accompanied 
them,  or  soon  followed.  He  was  not  ordained,  how- 
ever, until  November  26,  1679 ;  and  soon  afterward 
troubles  between  the  people  and  the  preacher  began 


72  GROTON. 

to  spring  up.  There  was  the  usual  controversy  about 
the  site  of  the  new  meetiug-house,  which  is  not  pecu- 
liar to  this  town  or  to  that  period,  but  is  common  to- 
day here  and  elsewhere  ;  and  there  was  a  dispute  over 
the  minister's  salary.  Mr.  Hobart's  pastorate  was 
anything  but  happy  and  harmonious,  and  he  appears 
to  have  left  Groton  about  1690.  The  records  of  this 
period  are  very  meagre,  but  contain  brief  allusions  to 
his  absence.  During  the  next  two  years  there  was 
no  settled  minister  of  the  town,  though  the  inhabit- 
ants were  not  without  stated  preaching.  The  Reverend 
John  Hancock  filled  the  pulpit  for  several  months 
and  received  a  call  to  become  the  minister,  which 
was  declined.  He  was  the  grandfather  of  John  Han- 
cock, Governor  of  the  Commonwealth  and  signer  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

The  fourth  minister  was  the  Reverend  Samuel  Car- 
ter, who  came  on  an  invitation  given  by  the  town,  on 
October  21, 1692.  It  is  evident,  from  the  scanty  records, 
that  he  accepted  the  call  a^d  remained  with  his  peo- 
ple until  the  time  of  his  death,  which  took  place  in 
the  autumn  of  1693.  According  to  papers  on  file  in 
the  Middlesex  Probate  Office  at  East  Cambridge,  ad- 
ministration on  his  estate  was  granted  on  October 
30th  of  that  year.  Mr.  Carter  was  the  eldest  son  of 
Thomas  Carter,  first  minister  of  Woburn,  and  born 
on  August  8,  1640.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  Col- 
lege in  the  class  of  1660,  and,  before  coming  to  Gro- 
ton, had  been  preaching  at  Lancaster  for  a  consider- 
able length  of  time.  He  was  followed  in  time  by 
Gershom  Hobart,  who  became  the  fifth  minister  as 
well  as  the  third,  in  the  order  of  settlement.     Mr. 


GROTON.  73 

Hobart  came  back  to  his  former  parish  in  the  autumn 
of  1693,  but  it  is  not  now  known  how  the  reconcilia- 
tion was  brought  about  between  him  and  the  town, 
as  the  church  records  of  that  period  are  lost ;  perhaps 
t  was  throu  gh  an  ecclesiastical  council.  He  contin- 
ued to  preach  here  until  about  the  end  of  the  year 
1704,  when  he  gave  up  his  charge.  His  dwelling 
stood  on  the  site  of  the  present  Baptist  meeting- 
house, and,  at  one  time  during  the  Indian  wars,  was 
used  as  a  garrison-house.  On  July  27,  1694,  it  was 
captured  by  the  savages,  when  one  of  Mr.  Hobart's 
children  was  killed,  and  another,  Gershom,  Jr.,  a  lad 
eight  or  ten  years  old,  was  carried  off  a  prisoner 
and  held  in  captivity  during  nearly  a  year.  Mr.  Ho- 
bart, the  father,  died  at  Groton  on  December  19, 
1707. 

During  the  year  1705  the  pulpit  appears  to  have 
been  filled  by  John  Odly,  as  the  records  have  it,  and 
probably  the  same  as  John  Odlin,  a  native  of  Boston 
and  a  graduate  of  Harvard  College  in  the  class  of  1702. 
On  July  3,  1705,  he  received  a  call  to  be  the  "town's 
minister  and  the  church's  officer,''  which  was  not  ac- 
cepted. 

The  fifth  minister  was  the  Eeverend  Dudley  Brad- 
street,  a  son  of  Dudley  Bradstreet,  of  Andover,  and 
a  grandson  of  Governor  Simon  Bradstreet.  He  was 
born  at  Andover  on  April  27,  1678,  and  a  graduate  of 
Harvard  College  in  the  class  of  1698.  He  was  the 
first  master  of  the  grammar  school  in  his  native  town, 
where  he  was  teaching  as  early  as  the  year  1704,  and 
perhaps  earlier. 

It  is  highly  probable  that  he  was  connected  with 


74  GROTOX. 

this  school  when  he  received  his  invitation  to  come 
to  Groton.  On  May  4,  1704,  he  was  married  to  Mary 
Wain^ right,  and  they  had  three  sons,  and  perhaps 
other  children.  Mr.  Bradstreet  w^as  preaching  here 
as  early  as  March,  1706,  but  was  not  ordained  until 
November  27th  of  that  year.  Under  a  vote  of  May  8, 
1706,  a  house  "  of  38  foot  long  and  18  foot  wide  "  was 
built  for  the  minister,  which  is  still  standing,  and  in 
a  state  of  good  preservation.  It  is  situated  on  the 
east  side  of  Hoi  lis  Street,  and  the  present  measure- 
ments conform  very  nearly  to  the  dimensions  given 
in  the  records. 

In  the  summer  of  1712  Mr.  Bradstreet  was  dismissed 
from  his  charge  in  this  town,  presumably  for  his 
Episcopal  tendencies ;  and  soon  afterward  he  went 
to  England  to  apply  for  orders  in  the  Anglican 
Church.  It  appears  from  a  copy  of  the  original  docu- 
ment in  Latin,  made  in  a  manuscript  volume,  (page 
90),  by  President  John  Leverett  now  deposited 
among  the  archives  of  Harvard  University  in  the 
College  Library,  that  he  was  ordained  a  deacon  by 
the  Bishop  of  London,  on  April  18,  1714,  and  a  priest 
one  week  later,  on  April  25th.  He  died  of  small-pox 
during  the  next  month,  only  two  or  three  wrecks  after 
receiving  priestly  orders ;  and  tidings  of  his  death 
reached  this  country  in  the  following  summer. 

The  sixth  minister  was  the  Reverend  Caleb  Trow- 
bridge, a  son  of  Deacon  James  Trowbridge,  of  New- 
ton. He  was  born  on  November  17,  1692,  and  grad- 
uated at  Harvard  College  in  the  class  of  1710.  On 
March  10,  1715,  he  was  married,  first,  to  Sarah  Oliver, 
of  Newton ;  and  on  September  18,  1718,  to  Hannah 


GROTOX.  75 

Walter,  of  Roxbury.  Mr.  Trowbridge  was  blessed 
with  a  family  of  nine  children,  and  until  recently 
some  of  his  descendants  were  living  at  Groton.  He 
died  on  September  9,  1760,  and  lies  buried  in  the  old 
burying-ground,  where  the  inscription  on  a  slab  of 
slate  laid  over  his  grave  makes  a  just  statement  of  his 
religious  and  social  character. 

The  seventh  minister  was  the  Reverend  Samuel 
Daua,  son  of  William  Dana,  and  born  in  that  part  of 
Cambridge  which  is  now  Brighton,  on  January  14, 
1738-39.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Harvard  College  in 
the  class  of  1755,  and  ordained  in  the  ministry  at 
Groton  on  June  3,  1761.  No  articles  of  faith  or 
church  covenant  appear  on  the  church  records  until 
the  period  of  his  settlement.  On  May  6,  1762,  he 
was  married  to  Anna  Kenrick,  of  Newton  ;  and  they 
had  five  children  born  at  Groton.  His  pastorate 
appears  to  have  been  harmonious  until  the  political 
troubles  of  the  Revolution  began  to  crop  out,  when  a 
sermon  preached  by  him  in  the  early  spring  of  1775 
gave  great  offence  to  his  parish.  Mr.  Dana's  sympa- 
thies were  with  the  Crown,  while  those  of  the  people 
were  equally  strong  on  the  other  side;  and  the  ex- 
citement over  the  matter  ran  so  high  that  he  was 
compelled  to  give  up  his  charge.  After  his  dismissal 
from  the  tov/n  and  church  he  remained  at  Groton 
during'  some  years,  preaching  for  a  year  and  a  half  to 
a  Presbyterian  society,  then  recently  organized ;  and 
later  he  removed  to  Amherst,  New  Hampshire, 
where  he  died  on  April  2,  1798. 

The  eighth  minister  was  the  Reverend  Daniel 
Chaplin,   a  son   of  Jonathan   Chaplin,   of   Rowley, 


76  GROTON. 

where  he  was  born  on  December  30,  1743.  He  grad- 
uated at  Harvard  College  in  the  class  of  1772,  and 
studied  theology  under  the  tuition  of  the  Reverend 
Samuel  Haven,  of  Portsmouth,  Xew  Hampshire.  He 
was  ordained  at  Groton  on  January  1,  1778,  when  he 
became  pastor  of  the  First  Parish,  and  he  continued 
to  hold  this  relation  until  the  time  of  his  death,  on 
April  8,  1831,  being  the  last  minister  settled  by  the 
town.  The  degree  of  D.D.  was  conferred  upon  him 
by  his  Alma  Mater  in  the  year  1817.  On  June  24, 1779, 
he  was  married  to  Susanna,  eldest  daughter  of  the 
Honorable  James  and  Susanna  (Lawrence)  Prescott, 
of  Groton.  After  their  marriage  they  lived  for  awhile 
in  the  house  built  by  Colonel  William  Lawrence,  who 
was  Mrs.  Chaplin's  grandfather.  It  was  situated  on 
the  north  corner  of  Main  and  Court  Streets,  lat- 
terly the  site  of  Liberty  Hall,  which  was  burned 
on  March  31,  1878;  and  subsequently  they  removed 
to  the  dwelling  built  by  Major  William  Swan,  and 
situated  on  School  Street,  north  of  the  burying- 
ground. 

Dr.  Chaplin's  youngest  daughter,  Mrs.  Sarah 
(Chaplin)  Rockwood,  died  in  Cortland,  Cortland 
County,  New  York,  on  November  26,  1889,  at  the  re- 
markable age  of  104  years  and  eighteen  days. 

The  ninth  minister  was  the  Reverend  Charles  Rob- 
inson, the  eldest  son  of  Caleb  Robinson,  of*  Exeter, 
New  Hampshire,  where  he  was  born  on  July  25, 
1793.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  the  class 
of  1818,  and  was  ordained  over  the  Unitarian  Church 
at  Eastport,  Maine,  where  he  remained  two  years  and 
a  half.     Mr.  Robinson  was  installed  at  Groton  on  No- 


GROTON.  77 

vember  1,  1826,  and  resigned  his  charge  in  October, 
1838.  He  was  afterward  settled  at  Medfield  and  at 
Peterborough,  New  Hampshire,  but  in  the  year  1860 
he  returned  to  Groton,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death,  on  April  9,  1862.  During  his  residence  here 
he  was  married,  on  July  3,  1827,  to  Jane,  only  daugh- 
ter of  the  Honorable  Stuart  John  Park,  of  Groton, 
who  died  on  March  23,  1828  ;  and  subsequently  to 
three  other  wives. 

The  tenth  minister  was  the  Rev.  George  Wads- 
worth  Wells,  sonof  Seth  and  Hannah  (Doane)  Wells, 
of  Boston,  where  he  was  born  on  October  17,1804. 
He  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  the  class  of 
1823,  and  then  pursued  his  theological  studies  at  the 
Harvard  Divinity  School.  For  a  while  he  preached 
in  Boston  and  Baltimore,  and,  on  October  24,  1827, 
was  ordained  at  Kennebunk,  Maine,  as  colleague  pas- 
tor of  the  first  Congregational  Church  in  that  town, 
where  he  remained  during  eleven  years.  On  Novem- 
ber 21,  1838,  Mr.  Wells  was  installed  over  the  First 
Parish  in  Groton,  where  he  preached  with  great  ac- 
ceptance and  success  until  his  death,  which  took 
place  on  March  17,  1843.  The  last  time  that  he  of- 
ficiated in  the  pulpit  was  on  Sunday,  February  5th  of 
that  year.  He  was  married  on  May  30,  1833,  to 
Lucia  Gardner,  daughter  of  John  Fairfield,  of  Bos- 
ton. Just  before  graduation  at  college,  his  middle 
name  was  inserted  by  an  Act  of  the  Legislature,  on 
June  14,  1823. 

The  eleventh  minister  was  the  Reverend  Joseph 
Couch  Smith,  a  native  of  Waltham,  where  he  was 
born  on  July  18,  1819.     He  graduated  at  Bowdoin 


78  GROTON. 

College  in  the  class  of  1838,  and  subsequently  passed 
two  years  at  the  Andover  Theological  Seminary.  On 
October  11,  1842,  he  was  ordained  in  Portland  as  an 
Evangelist.  After  Mr.  Wells's  death  he  came  to  Gro- 
ton,  and  was  installed  on  July  12,  1843.  Here  he  re- 
mained during  eight  years,  working  diligently  and 
faithfully  in  the  cause  of  his  Master,  to  which  he  had 
devoted  his  life.  Finally  the  loss  of  his  health  com- 
pelled him  to  ask  a  dismission,  and  his  relations  to 
the  society  ceased  in  August,  1851.  After  passing 
six  or  eight  months  in  foreign  travel,  and  returning 
home  much  invigorated,  he  was  called  to  the  Chan- 
ning  Congregational  Church,  at  Newton.  Here  he 
preached  for  four  years,  when  his  physical  infirmi- 
ties again  compelled  him  to  seek  retirement  from  his 
cares  and  labors ;  and  he  sailed  for  tlfe  Sandwich  Isl- 
ands in  the  hope  that  he  would  still  be  able  to  act  as 
an  agent  of  the  American  Unitarian  Association,  but 
in  this  he  was  disappointed.  After. a  rapid  decline 
he  died  at  Honolulu,  of  consumption,  on  December, 
29,  1857. 

Mr.  Smith  was  twice  married,— first,  on  August  31, 
1843,  to  Augusta  Hepsibah,  daughter  of  Ivory  and 
Louisa  (McCulloch)  Lord,  of  Kennebunk,  Maine  ; 
and  secondly,  on  December  8,  1846,  to  Margaret  Ann, 
daughter  of  George  and  Margaret  (Shattuck)  Brig- 
ham,  of  Groton.  His  first  wife  died  at  Groton,  on 
June  20,  1844,  and  his  widow  in  Lowell,  on  March 
31,  1864. 

The  twelfth  minister  was  the  Rev.  Crawford  Night- 
ingale, a  son  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  Kinnicut, 
(Thompson)  Nightingale,  and  born  in    Providence? 


GROTON.  79 

E.  I.,  on  November  3,  1816.  He  graduated  at  Brown 
University  in  the  class  of  1834,  and  at  the  Harvard 
Divinity  School  in  1838,  and  was  ordained  as  an 
Evangelist,  in  Providence,  on  November  7,  1838.  He 
was  married,  on  May  13, 1846,  to  Mary  Hoyt,  daugh- 
ter of  William  Henry  ai^  Frances  Wiswall  (Hum- 
phrey) Williams,  of  Athol.  Mr.  Nightingale  was 
settled  over  the  parish  on  January  26,  1853,  and 
received  his  dismissal  on  September  1,  1866,  though 
he  continued  to  be  a  resident  of  the  town  until  the 
year  1875.  Before  coming  here  he  held  a  pastorate 
at  Chicopee,  and  had  previously  acted  as  a  mission- 
ary in  Toledo,  0.,  and  in  Chicago.  He  has  now  re- 
tired from  the  laborious  duties  of  his  profession, 
though  he  preaches  occasionally,  and  is  living  at 
Dorchester. 

The  thirteenth  minister  was  the  Eev.  George  Mc- 
Kean  Folsom,  a  son  of  Charles  and  Susanna  Sarah 
(McKean)  Folsom,  and  born  in  Cambridge  on  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1837.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in 
the  class  of  1857,  and  at  the  Harvard  Divinity  School 
in  1866.  He  was  ordained  at  Groton  on  December 
12,  1866,  and  married,  on  January  8,  1867,  to  Susan 
Cabot,  daughter  of  Charles,  Jr.,  and  Susan  (Cabot) 
Jackson,  of  Boston.  In  April,  1869,  he  left  Groton 
and  removed  to  Dedham,  where  he  was  installed 
over  another  parish.  He  died  in  Boston  on  May  20, 
1882,  and  his  wife  at  Dedham  on  June  27,  1871.  An 
only  child,  a  daughter,  born  at  Groton  on  November 
16,  1867,  survives  the  parents. 

The  fourteenth  minister  was  the  Eev.  John  Martin 
Luther  Babcock,  a  son  of  James  Babcock,  of  Ando- 


80  GPwOTOX. 

ver,  Me.,  where  he  was  born  on  September  29,  1822. 
His  father's  family  removed  to  Boston  in  the  year 
1825,  where  he  remained  until  1846.  In  early  life  he 
studied  for  the  Baptist  ministry,  and  joined  the  cleri- 
cal profession  in  1852,  though  he  was  not  ordained 
until  January,  1854.  He  keld  pastorates  at  different 
towns  in  Maine,  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont,  but 
later  he  changed  his  denominational  relations  and 
entered  the  Unitarian  pulpit,  being  settled  at  Lancas- 
ter, N.  H.,  before  coming  to  this  town.  He  was  in- 
stalled over  the  First  Parish  on  April  26, 1871,  though 
he  had  been  preaching  here  since  December  1,  1870, 
and  received  his  dismission  on  August  31,  1874, 
though  he  continued  to  fill  ihe  pulpit  until  April  1, 
1875.  Since  leaving  Groton  he  has  given  up  the 
profession.  On  November  30,  1843,  he  was  married 
(first)  to  Martha  Day  Ayer,  of  Plaistow,  N.  H.,  who 
died  on  January  26,  1816 ;  and,  secondly,  on  April  5, 
1849,  to  Miriam  Clement  Tewksbury,.of  Wilmot,  who 
died  at  New  Hampton,  N.  H.,  on  September  22,  1888. 
The  fifteenth  miuister  was  the  Rev.  Joshua  Young, 
a  son  of  Aaron  and  Mary  (Coburn)  Young,  and  born 
at  Pittston,  Me.,  on  September  29,  1823.  He  gradu- 
ated at  Bowdoin  College  in  the  class  of  1845,  and  at 
the  Harvard  Divinity  School  in  1848.  He  was  mar- 
ried, on  February  14, 1849,  to  Mary  Elizabeth,  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  Sylvanusand  Mary  Bell  (Warland)  Plymp- 
ton,  of  Cambridge.  Mr.  Young  was  settled  in  Gro- 
ton at  the  beginning  of  1875,  and  still  continues  to 
be  the  minister  of  the  parish.  Before  coming  to  this 
town  he  had  held  pastorates  in  Burlington,  Vt.,  and 
in  Hingham  and  Fall   River.     On  commencement, 


GROTON.  81 

June  26,  1890,  he  received  the  honorary  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Divinity  from  his  Alma  Mater. 

The  formation  of  a  second  church  in  Groton  dates 
back  to  the  summer  of  1825,  when  the  venerable  Dr. 
Chaplin,  enfeebled  by  age,  became  so  infirm  that  he 
required  the  help  of  an  assistant.  At  that  time  he 
was  well  past  eighty  years,  and  the  powers  of  a  vig- 
orous manhood  were  beginning  to  fail  him.  On  Sun- 
day afternoon,  July  10,  1825,  a  very  hot  day.  Dr. 
Chaplin,  near  the  end  of  his  sermon,  fainted  in  his 
pulpit ;  and  soon  after  the  question  of  settling  a  col- 
league pastor  came  up.  This  matter  gave  rise  to 
much  controversy  and  discussion,  and  resulted  in  a 
division  of  the  old  parish  into  two  societies. 

It  happened  during  a  period  when  throughout 
the  Commonwealth  many  of  the  Congregational 
Churches  were  undergoing  great  changes  in  their 
creed,  and  were  forming  new  lines  of  theological  be- 
lief. Few  persons  of  the  present  day  are  aware  of  the 
bitter  animosity  that  prevailed  in  New  England  at 
that  time,  when  these  churches  were  torn  asunder  by 
internal  dissensions,  and  of  the  sectarian  feeling  that 
followed  the  division  of  the  parishes.  At  the  begin- 
ning of  the  troubles  the  Reverend  John  Todd,  a  grad- 
uate of  the  Andover  Theological  Seminary  in  the  class 
of  1825,  had  received  a  call  to  become  a  colleague  pas- 
tor with  Rev.  Dr.  Chaplin,  but  which,  owing  to  cer- 
tain informalities,  was  never  recognized  by  the  town, 
and  over  his  settlement  the  main  controversy  had 
arisen.  The  second  society,  made  up  of  those  who 
had  now  separated  from  the  First  Parish,  was  duly 
organized  and  a  house  of  worship  built,  which  was 
6 


82  GROTON. 

dedicated  to  the  service  of  God  on  January  3, 1827, 
and  at  the  same  time  Mr.  Todd  was  ordained  in  the 
ministry.  He  remained  as  pastor  of  this  society, 
which  became  known  as  the  Union  Congregational 
Church,  until  January  8, 1833,  when  he  was  dismissed 
at  his  own  request. 

The  Reverend  John  Todd  ^-as  the  eldest  child  of 
Dr.  Timothy  and  Phebe  (Bui)  Todd,  and  born  in 
Rutland,  Yt.,  on  October  9,  1800.  He  graduated  at 
Yale  College  in  the  class  of  1822,  and  then  entered 
the  Theological  Seminary  at  Andover.  On  March  11, 
1827,  he  was  married  to  Mary  Skinner,  daughter  of 
the  Reverend  Joab  Brace,  of  Newington,  Conn.,  who 
died  at  Pittsfield  on  April  29,  1889.  After  leaving 
Groton,  Dr.  Todd  held  pastorates  at  Northampton, 
Philadelphia  and  Pittsfield,  where  he  died  on  August 
24,  1873,  after  an  illness  of  three  months.  In  the  year 
1845  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred 
upon  him  by  WiDiams  College.  He- was  the  author 
of  more  than  thirty  volumes,  besides  many  sermons 
and  pamphlets,  including  among  them  "The  Stu- 
dent's Manual,"  a  work  which  has  exerted  a  wide  in- 
fluence on  the  young  men  of  the  country. 

The  second  minister  of  the  Union  Church  was  the 
Reverend  Charles  Baker  Kittredge,  a  son  o^  Josiah 
and  Mary  (Baker)  Kittredge,  and  born  at  Mount  Ver- 
non, N.  H.,  on  July  4,  1806.  He  graduated  at  Dart- 
mouth College  in  the  class  of  1828,  and  at  the  Ando- 
ver Theological  Seminary  in  1832.  He  was  ordained 
at  Groton  on  October  15,  1833,  but  the  time  of  his 
ministry  here  was  short,  as  he  was  dismissed  on 
August  31,  1835.     After  leaving  this  town  he  was  set- 


GROTON.  83 

tied  over  various  parishes  in  diflferent  places,  and  died 
at  Westborough  on  November  25,  1884.  Mr.  Kit- 
tredge  was  married,  on  July  9,  1830,  to  Sarah,  daugh- 
ter of  Charles  and  Susanna  (Bayliss)  Brigham,  of 
Grafton,  who  died  on  March  26,  1871. 

The  third  minister  was  the  Eeverend  Dudley 
Phelps,  a  native  of  Hebron,  Conn.,  where  he  was 
born  on  January  25,  1798,  and  a  graduate  of  Yale 
College  in  the  class  of  1823,  and  of  the  Andover  The- 
ological Seminary  in  1827.  He  was  ordained  at 
Haverhill  on  January  9,  1828,  where  he  remained 
until  the  year  1833,  and  during  1834  and  1835  was 
the  editor  of  the  Salem  Landmark.  Mr.  Phelps  was 
installed  at  Groton  on  October  19,  1836,  where  he 
continued  as  pastor  of  the  church  until  his  death, 
which  took  place  on  September  24,  1849.  He  was 
the  father  of  the  late  Hon.  Benjamin  Kinsman  Phelps, 
district  attorney  of  New  York,  an  only  child  by  the 
first  wife,  who  was  Ann  Kinsman,  of  Portland,  Me. 
The  second  wife  was  Lucretia,  daughter  of  the  Hon. 
Benjamin  Mark  and  Lucretia  (Gardner)  Farley,  of 
Hollis,  N.  H.,  and  of  Groton,  to  whom  he  was  mar- 
ried on  October  12,  1837. 

The  fourth  minister  was  the  Reverend  Edwin 
Adolphus  Bulkley,  a  son  of  Erastus  and  Mary  (Wal- 
bridge)  Bulkley,  and  born  in  Charleston,  S.  C,  on 
January  25,  1826.  He  graduated  at  Yale  College  in 
the  class  of  1844,  and  at  the  Union  Theological  Sem- 
inary in  1848,  and  was  married,  on  September  28, 
1848,  at  Huntington,  Long  Island,  N.  Y.,  to  Cath- 
arine Fredrica,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Catharine 
Fredrica  (Kunze)  Oakley.    Mr.  Bulkley  was  installed 


84  GROTON. 

over  the  society  on  September  18,  1850,  and  dismissed 
on  January  10,  1864.  Before  coming  to  Groton  he 
was  settled  at  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  and  on  leaving  this 
town  he  went  to  Plattsburg.  At  the  present  time  he 
has  charge  of  a  Presbyterian  Church  at  Rutherford, 
N.  J.  He  has  been  blessed  with  eight  children,  of 
whom  three  survive,  and  five  of  the  eight  were  born 
at  Groton.  In  the  year  1868  the  degree  of  D.D.  was 
conferred  upon  him  by  the  University  of  Vermont. 

The  fifth  minister  was  the  Reverend  William 
Wheeler  Parker,  a  son  of  Ebenezer  and  Hannah 
Brooks  (Merriam)  Parker,  and  born  at  Princeton  on 
March  2,  1824.  He  graduated  at  the  Andover  Theo- 
logical Seminary  in  1858,  and  on  August  24th,  of  that 
year,  he  was  married  at  Holden  to  Emily,  daughter  of 
Joel  and  Diodamia  Walker.  Mr.  Parker  was  in- 
stalled at  Groton  on  May  16,  1865,  and  dismissed  at 
his  own  request  on  August  25,  1868.  Since  leaving 
this  town  he  has  lived  in  several  places,  but  is  now 
residing  at  Harwich  Port. 

The  sixth  minister  was  the  Reverend  Jeremiah 
Knight  Aldrich,  a  son  of  Xehemiah  Knight  and 
Sarah  Bowen  (Branch)  Aldrich,  aud  born  in  Provi- 
dence, R.  I./on  May  20,  1826.  He  became  a  licen- 
tiate after  an  examination  before  the  Windham 
County  (Connecticut)  Association  of  Congregational 
Ministers,  on  June  4,  1862,  and  was  ordained  at  Cen- 
tral Village,  Plainfield,  in  that  State,  on  February  17, 
1863.  He  was  settled  at  Groton  on  June  1,  1870,  and 
dismissed  at  his  own  request  on  May  18,  1873.  Mr. 
Aldrich  was  married,  on  June  3,  1848,  in  Providence, 
R.  I.,  to  Sarah  Hamer,  of  Taunton. 


GROTON.  85 

The  seventh  minister  was  the  Reverend  Benjamin 
Adams  Robie,  a  son  of  Thomas  Sargent  and  Clarissa 
(Adams)  Robie,  and  born  at  Gorham,  Maine,  on  Sep- 
tember 9,  1836.  He  graduated  at  the  Bangor  Theo- 
logical Seminary  in  the  class  of  1865,  and  was  mar- 
ried on  July  6,  1869,  at  Vassalborough,  to  Lucy 
Hedge  Wiggin,  of  that  town.  He  was  settled  as 
pastor-elect  on  April  1, 1874,  and  resigned  on  April 
1,  1884. 

The  eighth  minister  was  the  Reverend  George 
Austin  Pelton,  a  son  of  Asa  Carter  and  Ophelia 
(Austin)  Pelton,  and  born  at  Stockbridge,  on  April 
15,  1833.  He  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  the  class 
of  1861,  and  at  Andover  Theological  Seminary  in 
1864.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Essex  South 
Association  in  February,  1864,  and  ordained  "to  the 
work  of  the  Gospel  ministry  "  without  installation,  at 
Franklin,  on  August  9,  1865.  Mr.  Pelton  was  mar- 
ried in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  on  April  27,  1864,  to 
Catharine  Sarah,  daughter  of  Seth  Warner  and  Cath- 
erine Post  Brownson.  He  was  settled  as  pastor-elect 
on  May  15,  1884,  and  resigned  on  May  15,  1886. 

The  ninth  minister  was  the  Reverend  John  Bar- 
stow,  a  son  of  Ezekiel  Hale  and  Eunice  (Clark)  Bar- 
stow,  and  born  at  Newton  Centre  on  February  16, 
1857.  He  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  the 
class  of  1883,  and  at  the  Andover  Theological  Sem- 
inary in  1887.  He  began  his  labors  at  Groton  on 
April  1,  1887,  and  was  ordained  and  installed  on  June 
29th,  of  the  same  year.  Mr.  Barstow  was  married  at 
Wethersfield,  on  July  5,  1887,  to  Mary  Weller  Wol- 
cott,  of  that  town.     He  was  dismissed  at  his  own  re- 


86  GROTOX. 

quest  on  September  12,  1889,  and  is  now  settled  over 
a  society  at  Glastonbury,  Conn.  At  one  time  his 
father  was  the  principal  of  Lawrence  Academy. 

The  tenth  minister  is  the  Reverend  Edward  Leeds 
Gulick,  the  present  pastor.  He  is  a  son  of  the  Rev- 
erend Luther  Halsey  and  Louisa  (Lewis)  Gulick,  and 
born  in  Honolulu,  Hawaiian  Islands,  on  March  21, 
1862.  He  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  the 
class  of  1883,  and  at  the  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
New  York,  in  1887.  He  began  his  labors  on  October 
27,  1889,  and  was  ordained  on  December  23d  of  the 
same  year. 

A  Baptist  Society  was  organized  on  December  5, 
1832,  and  the  Rev.  Amasa  Sanderson  was  the  first 
minister.  Captain  Josiah  Clark,  one  of  the  members, 
generously  gave  them  the  use  of  a  commodious  hall 
in  the  third  story  of  a  house  at  the  south  corner  of 
Main  Street  and  Broad  Meadow  Road.  In  the  year 
1841  the  society  erected  a  meeting-house  on  the  spot 
where  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hobart's  dwelling  stood,  which 
was  a  garrison-house  in  the  summer  of  1694. 

Mr.  Sanderson  was  a  native  of  Gardner,  Mass., 
wheie  he  was  born  on  April  16, 1796.  He  was  married, 
first,  at  Weston,  in  1822,  to  Abigail  Rand,  who  died 
on  January  3,  1867 ;  and,  secondly,  at  Nashua,  New 
Hampshire,  in  July,  1867,  to  Mrs.  Mary  Rebecca 
(Batchelder)  Woodbury,  widow  of  Seth  Woodbury. 
Mr.  Sanderson  supplied  the  pulpit  until  May,  1843, 
when  from  feeble  health  he  resigned  his  charge.  He 
died  in  Nashua,  New  Hampshire,  on  June  1,  1877, 
and  buried  at  Ayer. 

The  Rev.  Alfred  Pinney,  of  Auburn,  New  York, 


GROTON.  87 

was  the  second  minister,  and  had  charge  of  the  society 
from  August,  1843,  to  August,  1844.  He  is  a  son  of 
Joshua  Lasselle  and  Mary  (Lake)  Pinney,  and 
born  at  Middlefield,  Otsego  County,  New  York, 
on  October  15,  1812.  In  early  life  he  studied  the 
profession  of  medicine,  which  he  practised  for  a 
while,  but  soon  afterward  gave  up  in  order  to  enter 
the  ministry.  He  began  a  course  of  study  in  the 
academic  department  of  Madison  University  at  Ham- 
ilton, New  York,  with  a  view  to  graduate  from  the 
college  and  the  Theological  Seminary,  but  owing  to 
trouble  with  his  eyes  he  was  compelled  to  abandon 
the  plan.  On  June  8,  1841,  Mr.  Pinney  was  married 
in  Troy,  New  York,  to  Olivia  Marcia  Brownell  ;  and 
he  is  now  living  at  No.  95  Madison  Street,  Brooklyn. 

The  Eev.  Lewis  Holmes,  a  native  of  Plymouth,  was 
the  third  mini.ster.  Born  on  April  12,  1813,  he  grad- 
uated at  Waterville  College  (now  Colby  University) 
in  the  class  of  1840.  He  was  settled  at  Groton  in 
May,  1845,  and  remained  until  May,  1849.  Mr. 
Holmes  was  settled  over  various  societies  in  Massachu- 
setts, and  died  at  Plymouth  on  May  24,  1887. 

The  Rev.  John  Allen  was  the  fourth  minister,  and 
his  pastorate  extended  from  June,  1849,  to  September, 
1853.  He  was  born  at  Mansfield  on  March  27,  1792, 
and  died  at  East  Providence  Centre,  Rhode  Island,  on 
November  28,  1882.  He  was  married,  first,  in  the 
year  1816,  at  Easton,  to  Sally  Bonney  ;  and  secondly, 
on  April  22, 1856,  in  Boston,  to  Mrs.  Anna  (Carpenter) 
Carpenter,  daughter  of  Caleb  Carpenter,  and  a  native 
of  Rehoboth.     His  father's  name  was  Joseph  Allen. 

The  Rev.  George  Everett  Tucker  was  the  fifth  min- 


88  GKOTON. 

ister,  and  his  service  began  in  November,  1853,  and 
lasted  until  June,  1857.  Born  at  Canton  on  February 
29,  1820,  he  fitted  for  college  at  Pierce  Academy,  of 
Middleborough  and  graduated  at  Brown  University 
in  the  class  of  1842.  He  has  held  pastorates  at  var- 
ious places  in  Rhode  Island  and  Maine,  and  died  at 
Dedham  on  October  24,  1888,  while  on  a  visit,  though 
his  home  was  at  Brunswick,  Maine. 

The  Rev.  Lucius  Edwin  Smith  was  the  sixth  min- 
ister, and  served  the  society  from  December,  1857  to 
September,  1865.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  native  of  Williams- 
town,  where  he  was  born  on  January  29.  1822,  and  a 
graduate  of  Williams  College  in  the  class  of  1843. 
He  first  studied  law  in  his  native  town  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  the  year  1845  ;  afterward  studied 
divinity  and  graduated  at  the  Ne'wton  Theological 
Seminary  in  1857.  His  editorial  services  have  been 
extensive,  and  he  is  now  associate  editor  of  the 
Watchman  (Boston).  The  degree  of,  D.D.  w^as  con- 
ferred upon  him  by  his  Alma  Mater  in  1869. 

The  Rev.  Oliver  Ayer  was  the  seventh  minister,  and 
had  charge  of  the  society  from  April,  1866,  till  March 
29,  1874.  He  is  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Xancy  (Day) 
Ayers,  and  was  born  at  Plaistow,  New  Hampshire,  on 
August  2,  1810.  He  graduated  at  Brown  University 
in  the  class  of  1834,  in  the  same  class  with  the  Rev. 
Crawford  Nightingale,  of  Groton,  and  immediately 
after  graduation  became  the  principal  of  Rockingham 
Academy  at  Hampton  Falls,  New  Hampshire.  In 
the  year  1837  he  was  ordained  at  Littleton,  Massachu- 
setts, where  he  was  the  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church 
until  1843,   and  then,    after  a   settlement   at   Dover, 


GROTON.  89 

Claremont    and  Deerfield,  all  in  the  State  of  New 
Hampshire,  he  came  to  Groton  in  the  spring  of  1866. 

After  leaving  his  town  he  was  settled  for  six  years 
over  a  society  at  North  Oxford,  since  which  time  he 
has  been  living  in  Providence,  with  no  pastoral  charge. 
Mr.  Ayer  was  married,  first,  on  November  5,  1835, 
to  Caroline  Persis,  daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth 
(How)  Garland,  of  Portsmouth,  who  died  on  Sep- 
tember 23,  1857 ;  and,  secondly,  on  September  16, 
1862,  to  Susan  French  Sargent,  of  Lebanon,  New 
Hampshire. 

The  Keverend  Benjamin  Franklin  Lawrence  was 
the  eighth  minister,  and  settled  over  the  society  from 
July,  1874,  to  August,  1880.  He  graduated  at  Colby 
University  in  the  class  of  1858,  and  studied  at  the 
Newton  Theological  Institution  during  the  years 
1859  and  1860.  He  has  had  charge  of  various 
parishes  in  New  England,  and  is  now  at  East  Jeffer- 
son, Maine. 

The  Reverend  Herman  Franklin  Titus  served  the 
church  from  December,  1880,  to  February,  1881,  with- 
out settlement.  He  is  a  son  of  Moses  and  Sophronia 
(Patch)  Titus,  former  residents  of  the  town.. 

The  Reverend  Thomas  Herbert  Goodwin  was  the 
ninth  minister,  and  settled  over  the  society  from 
October,  1881,  to  January,  1884.  He  is  a  son  of 
Benjamin  and  Lucy  Adams  (Mixer)  Goodwin,  and 
born  in  Manchester, New  Hampshire,  on  July  4,1847. 
He  was  married,  on  March  23,  1871,  at  New  Londoq^ 
New  Hampshire,  to  Arvilla  Olive  Pattee,  and  is  now 
living  at  North  Hanover. 

The  Reverend  Frank  Curtis  Whitney  was  the  tenth 


90  GROTON. 

minister,  and  settled  over  the  church  from  August  1, 
1884,  to  October  1,  1889.  When  he  left  the  society  he 
went  to  Minnesota. 

The  Reverend  Samuel  Bastin  Nobbs,  the  present 
pastor,  is  the  eleventh  minister,  and  took  charge  of 
the  congregation  on  December  1,  1889.  He  is  a  son 
of  James  and  Eliza  (Haynes)  Nobbs,  and  born  at 
Charlton  Kings,  Gloucestershire,  England,  on  July  1, 
1862.  After  a  short  residence  in  Australia  he  joined 
his  parents  in  their  removal  from  England  to  New 
York  in  September,  1881.  Receiving  his  preparatory 
education  at  Gloucester,  England,  he  entered  the 
Theological  Seminary  at  Hamilton,  New  York,  in  the 
year  1885,  where  he  graduated  in  1888.  His  first 
pastorate  was  at  Newport,  Vermont.  Mr.  Nobbs  was 
married,  on  July  1, 1886,  to  Loue  Maud  Richardson, 
of  Hamilton,  New  York. 

During  the  year  1885  a  house  of  worship  was  built 
at  West  Groton,  which  was  dedicated  on  October  7, 
according  to  the  ritual  of  the  Methodist  Church.  The 
Congregational,  Baptist,  and  Episcopal  Societies  of  the 
town  were  well  represented  on  the  occasion,  and 
everybody  seemed  to  feel  that  the  new  building  was  a 
benediction  to  the  village.  In  the  "  Life  of  John 
Todd  "  (page  181),  written  by  his  son,  there  is  an  early 
allusion  to  a  chapel  built  during  the  winter  of  1827, 
as  follows :  "  My  friends  are  preparing  me  a  pretty 
chapel  over  at  this  spot  [West  Groton] ,  and  as  soon  as 
y;  is  finished  I  am  to  open  a  battery  there."  All 
recollection  of  this  building  among  the  inhabitants  of 
the  village  has  now  passed  away. 

During  the  first  three  years  after  the  present  church 


GROTON.  91 

was  built,  services  therein  were  conducted  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Methodist  denomination,  but  since 
that  period  the  society  has  made  arrangements  with 
the  Congregational  minister  at  Groton  to  supply  the 
pulpit,  and  he  preaches  on  each  Sunday  afternoon. 

Services  of  the  Episcopal  Church  were  begun  in 
connection  with  the  Groton  School  at  its  opening  in 
October,  1884.  The  parish  is  called  St.  John's  Chapel 
of  Groton  School,  and  the  sittings  in  the  church  are 
free.  The  services  are  conducted  by  the  head  master. 
Reverend  Endicott  Peabody.  The  present  chapel  was 
built  in  the  year  1887,  and  consecrated  on  January  8, 
1888,  by  the  Bishop  of  the  Diocese. 

Lawrence  Academy. — During  rhe  early  part  of 
the  year  1792  a  voluntary  association  was  formed  at 
Groton,  by  certain  people  of  the  town  and  neighbor- 
hood, in  order  to  establish  an  academy  where  a 
higher  education  could  be  obtained  than  was  given 
at  the  district  schools  of  that  period.  A  subscription 
paper  was  circulated  for  the  purpose  of  procuring 
funds  to  erect  a  suitable  building.  A  subscription  of 
five  pounds  currency  was  the  smallest  sum  received 
from  any  person,  and  was  denominated  a  share;  ten 
pounds  was  called  two  shares;  and  so  on.  On  April 
27, 1792,  the  association  organized  by  choosing  trustees 
and  the  other  customary  officers;  and  from  this  as  a 
beginning  sprang  the  institution  known  formerly  as 
Groton  Academy,  but  now  as  Lawrence  Academy. 
When  it  was  first  opened,  in  the  spring  of  1793,  the 
exercises  were  held  in  the  district  school-house,  on 
Farmers'  Row.  By  a  resolve  of  the  Legislature,  on 
Feb.  27, 1797,  a  grant  of  land  was  given  to  the  academy. 


92  GROTON. 

which  consisted  of  half  a  township  situated  in  Wash- 
ington County,  District  of  Maine.  It  comes  now  in 
Hodgdon,  Aroostook  County,  and  lies  on  the  eastern 
frontier  of  the  State,  just  south  of  Houlton. 

Among  the  early  friends  and  benefactors  of  the 
institution  may  be  mentioned, — Benjamin  Bancroft, 
Timothy  Bigelow,  James  Brazer,  Aaron  Brown,  Fran- 
cis Champney,  Daniel  Chaplin,  Samuel  Dana,  Na- 
than Davis,  Zechariah  Fitch,  Samuel  Hemenway, 
Samuel  Lawrence,  Joshua  Longley,  Joseph  Moors, 
William  and  Oliver  Prescott,  Samuel  Kockwood, 
William  Swan  and  Samson  Woods. 

During  the  summer  of  1841  the  Academy  building 
was  remodeled  for  the  first  time  and  somewhat  en- 
larged by  an  addition  to  the  rear,  at  a  cost  of  $2000, 
generously  given  for  the  purpose  by  Amos  Lawrence, 
Esq.,  of  Boston.  The  grounds  also  were  improved, 
and  a  fence,  consisting  of  stone  posts  and  chains, 
placed  in  front  of  the  yard,  as  well  as  on  the  south 
side,  separating  it  from  the  Brazer  estate. 

In  the  spring  of  1844  William  Lawrence,  Esq.,  of 
Boston,  an  elder  brother  of  Amos,  gave  the  sum  of 
S10,000  to  be  added  to  the  permanent  funds  of  the 
institution.  In  consequence  of  this  liberal  gift  and 
other  manifestations  of  their  interest  in  the  school, 
on  the  part  of  the  two  brothers,  the  trustees  voted 
the  annual  meeting,  on  August  20,  1845,  to  petition 
the  General  Court  to  change  the  corporate  name  of 
the  school  to  "  The  Lawrence  Academy  of  Groton." 
At  the  next  session  of  the  I>egislature  the  petition 
was  duly  presented  and  granted  on  February  28, 
1846. 


GROTON.  93 

The  benefactions  of  the  Lawrence  brothers  did  not 
cease  with  the  change  of  name  in  the  school.  During 
the  month  of  July,  1846,  Amos  Lawrence,  Esq., 
bought  the  Brazer  estate  (so  called),  adjoining  the 
Academy  lot  on  the  south,  and  formerly  belonging  to 
James  Brazer,  Esq.,  for  the  sum  of  $4400,  and  soon 
afterward  conveyed  it  by  deed  to  the  trustees  of 
Lawrence  Academy.  He  also  requested  that  all  the 
buildings  and  fences  on  the  place  should  be  put  in 
complete  repair  at  his  expense,  which  was  accord- 
ingly done  at  a  cost  of  more  than  $1200.  During  the 
next  month  William  Lawrence,  Esq.,  wrote  to  the 
trustees,  offering  to  give  $5000  to  be  used  for  the 
enlargement  of  the  Academy  building,  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  substantial  stone  and  iron  fence  in  front  of 
the  grounds,  including  the  Dana  and  Brazer  estates, 
and  for  the  purchase  of  another  bell  for  the  school. 
The  Dana  estate,  adjoining  the  Academy  lot  on  the 
north,  had.  formerly  belonged  to  the  Hon.  Samuel 
Dana,  and  was  bought  by  the  trustees  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1836.  With  this  sum,  thus  generously  placed 
in  their  hands,  the  trustees,  during  the  ensuing  au- 
tumn, enlarged  the  Academy  by  an  extension  on  its 
north  side,  and  very  soon  afterward  carried  out  his 
wishes  in  the  other  matters.  At  Mr.  Lawrence's 
death,  which  occurred  on  October  14,  1848,  he  be- 
queathed the  sum  of  $20,000  to  the  institution. 

Unfortunately,  the  main  building  of  the  Academy 
was  burned  to  the  ground  on  July  4,  1868,  and  a 
structure  of  brick  and  stone  erected  on  the  same  site, 
which  was  dedicated  June  29,  1871. 

A  celebration  in  connection  with  the  history  of 


94  GROTON. 

Lawrence  Academy  took  place  on  July  12,  1854, 
when  an  address  was  delivered  by  the  Rev.  James 
Means,  a  former  principal  of  the  institution.  It  was 
a  distinguished  gathering,  and  known  at  that  time 
as  the  "  Jubilee."  A  full  account  of  the  proceedings 
was  afterward  published,  with  a  general  catalogue  of 
the  school  from  its  beginning.  Another  re-union  w^as 
held  on  June  21,  1883,  when  a  dinner  was  given  in 
the  Town  Hall  to  the  old  pupils.  The  assemblage 
was  not  so  large  as  the  previous  one,  but  quite  as 
enthusiastic.  The  wish  was  generally  expressed  that 
the  centennial  anniversary  of  the  school,  which 
comes  in  the  year  1893,  should  be  duly  celebrated. 
The  proceedings  on  this  occasion  also  were  printed 
in  a  pamphlet  form. 

During  the  early  days  of  Xew  England  there  was 
no  distinct  class  of  men  following  the  profession  of 
medicine,  but  the  practice  was  taken  up  in  connec- 
tion with  some  other  calling.  In  every  community 
either  the  minister  or  the  schoolmaster  or  some 
skilled  nurse  was  expected  to  act  in  cases  of  need, 
and,  for  the  most  part,  such  persons  performed  the 
duties  now  undertaken  by  the  faculty.  In  the  early 
part  of  1672  the  Rev.  Samuel  Willard  wrote  a  long 
account  of  a  case  of  witchcraft  which  befell  Eliza- 
beth Knapp,  of  Groton,  and  he  relates  how  the 
"Physitian'"  came  to  see  her  on  Novembers,  1671, 
when  he  gave  his  judgment  on  the  case,  or,  in  other 
words,  made  the  diagnosis.  It  would  be  an  interest- 
ing fact  to  know  who  was  the  doctor  then  practicing 
in  the  neighborhood,  but  this  is  now  beyond  the  reach 
of  historical  inquiry. 


GROTON.  95 

The  earliest  physician  in  Groton,  mentioned  by 
name,  of  whom  I  have  found  any  trace,  is  Dr.  Henry 
Blasdell,  who  was  impressed  into  the  public  service 
by  Colonel  Edmund  Goffe.  On  May  28,  1725,  he  pe- 
titioned the  General  Court  that  an  allowance  be 
made  him  for  his  professional  services  and  for  medi- 
cines furnished  during  the  campaign  of  the  previous 
autumn,  while  he  was  surgeon  to  the  western  forces. 
The  amount  of  his  bill  was  £26  14s.  and  the  General 
Court  allowed  him  £17  9s. 

Dr.  Ezekiel  Chase,  of  Groton,  was-  married  at  New- 
bury, on  May  20,  1729,  to  Priscilia  Merrill,  of  that 
town.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Nathan  and  Hannah 
(Kent)  Merrill,  and  born  at  Newbury,  on  October  16, 
1703. 

Dr.  Benjamin  Morse  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Benjamin 
and  Abigail  (Dudley)  Morse,  and  born  at  Sutton  on 
March  20,  1740.  He  was  married,  on  November  27, 
1760,  to  Mary,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Sarah  Barnard, 
also  born  at  Sutton,  on  September  13,  1741 ;  and 
while  living  in  that  towQ  they  had  a  family  of  six 
children. 

Dr.  Morse  came  to  Groton  probably  during  the 
Revolutionary  period,  and  was  a  Representative  to 
the  General  Court  in  the  session  of  1784,  and  several 
succeeding  ones ;  and  he  was  also  a  delegate  to  the 
Convention  for  adopting  the  Constitution  of  the  Uni- 
ted States,  in  the  year  1788,  where  he  opposed  the 
adoption.  He  lived  in  the  south  part  of  the  town, 
near  the  present  village  of  Aver ;  and  the  site  of  his 
house  is  laid  dow^n  on  the  map  of  Groton,  published 
in  1832.     He  died  on  May  31, 1833,  aged  ninety-three 


96  GROTOX. 

years,  and  his  widow,  on  December  16,  1835,  aged 
ninety-four  years. 

Dr.  Ephraim  Ware,  a  physician  of  Groton,  was 
married  at  Cambridge,  on  October  13,  1785,  to  Mrs. 
Abigail  Gamage.  He  was  a  native  of  Needham,  and 
born  on  January  14, 1725.  His  first  wife  was  Martha, 
daughter  of  Josiah  and  Elizabeth  Parker,  of  Groton, 
where  they  were  married  on  July  26,  1764.  She  was 
born  on  January  7,  1737,  and  died  at  Groton  on 
April  4,  1776.  After  their  marriage  they  went  to 
Dedham  to  live,  as  the  records  of  that  town  say  : 
"  The  Selectmen  on  the  2d  Day  of  Augt.,  1765,  gave 
Orders  to  Israel  Everett,  Constable,  to  warn  Ephraim 
Ware,  Martha  Ware  [and  three  others]  to  depart  this 
Town  in  14  Days,  or  give  Security  to  indemnify  the 
Town."  Such  orders  were  in  accordance  with  an  old 
practice,  then  common  throughout  the  Province,  which 
aimed  to  prevent  the  permanent  settlement  of  families 
in  towns  where  they  might  become  a  public  burden. 
Their  two  eldest  children,  both  boys,  were  born  at  Ded- 
ham ;  and  three  other  children — a  daughter,  Sarah, 
and  two  sons,  who  both  died  in  infancy — were  born 
at  Groton.  Sarah,  born  on  September  18,  1769,  was 
married  to  Richard  Sawtell,  of  Groton,  on  March  10, 
1796,  and  died  on  March  23,  1851,  having  been  the 
mother  of  nine  children. 

Dr.  Ephraim  Woolson  was  practicing  medicine 
at  Groton  in  the  year  1766.  He  was  a  son  of  Isaac 
and  Sibyl  Woolson,  and  born  at  Weston  on  April  11, 
1740.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  the  class 
of  1760,  and  was  married  to  Mary  Richardson  on  July 
29,  1765.     Dr.  Woolson  appears  to  have  been  living 


GROTON.  97 

at  Weston  just  before  his  residence  at  Groton,  and  in 

the  year  1767  he  bought  land  at  Princeton,  where  six 

of  his  children  were  born.     He  was  a  justice  of  the  . 

peace,  and  is  ^;iifiliO  h.ivr  died  in  the  year  1802j<tX"c:^?:^.<^-*'*^^^^  w/n<^. 

Dr.  Jonathan  Gove  was  a  son  of  John  and  Tabitha 
(Livermore)  Gove,  and  born  in  that  part  of  Weston 
which  is  now  Lincoln,  on  August  22, 1746.  He  grad- 
uated at  Harvard  College  in  the  class  of  1768,  and 
studied  medicine  under  the  instruction  of  Dr.  Oliver 
Prescott,  of  Groton.  About  the  year  1770  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary,  daughter  of  Nathan  and  Mary  (Patter- 
sou)  Hubbard,  of  this  town,  and  here  John  and  Lu- 
cinda,  their  two  eldest  children, were  born  and  baptized. 
This  son  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  the  class 
of  1793,  studied  law  and  died  at  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  in 
the  year  1802.  From  Groton  Dr.  Gove  removed  to 
New  Boston,  New  Hampshire,  where  three  more 
children  were  born.  His  wife  was  born  at  Groton  on 
January  9,  1748,  and  died  at  New  Boston.  He  was 
married,  secondly,  on  January  6,  1791,  to  Polly  Dow, 
who  became  the  mother  of  three  children.  Dr.  Gove 
subsequently  removed  to  Goflfstown,  New  Hampshire, 
and  died  there  on  March  24,  1818. 

Dr.  Samuel  Farnsworth  was  the  youngest  child  of 
Isaac  and  Anna  (Green)  Farnsworth,  and  born  at 
Groton  on  September  29,  1767.  He  was  married,  on 
November  25,  1788,  to  Betsey,  daughter  of  Captain 
Zachariah  and  Lydia  (Tuck)  Fitch,  and  they  had  a 
family  of  eight  children,  of  whom  two  sons,  Samuel 
and  Benjamin  Franklin,  were  graduates  of  Dartmouth 
College  in  the  class  of  1813.  Dr.  Farnsworth  subse- 
quently removed  to  Bridgeton,  Maine,  where  he  had  a 
7 


98  GKOTO^\ 

successful  career  as  a  physician.  His  eldest  child, 
Betsey,  was  boru  at  Groton  on  July  2,  1789,  and  the 
next  one,  Samuel,  at  Bridgton  on  October  9,  1791 ; 
and  the  removal  from  this  town  took  place  in  the 
year  1790.     He  died  on  Xovember  4,  1817. 

These  several  physicians  practiced  their  profession 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Groton,  though  they  had  never 
taken  medical  degrees.  Before  the  present  century 
this  was  a  common  custom  throughout  the  country  ; 
and  the  instances  were  very  exceptional  where  prac- 
titioners could  rightfully  append  M.D.  to  their  names. 
As  a  class  they  were  men  of  shrewd  sense  and  acute 
observers,  and  their  practice  was  attended  with  suc- 
cess. Perhaps  they  made  a  better  use  of  their  oppor- 
tunities than  we  make  to-day  with  our  richly  endowed 
medical  schools  and  numerous  hospitals. 

During  the  last  century  Dr.  Oliver  Prescott  was 
an  eminent  physician  of  Groton,  and  he  took  high 
professional  rank  throughout  the  Province.  He  was 
the  youngest  of  three  distinguished  brothers,  of  whom 
the  eldest  was  Judge  James  Prescott,  who  filled  many 
important  positions  in  civil  life  as  well  as  in  military 
circles;  and  the  second  was  Colonel  William  Prescott, 
who  commanded  the  American  forces  at  the  Battle  of 
Bunker  Hill.  Both  Dr.  Oliver  Prescott  and  his  son, 
Dr.  Oliver  Prescott,  Jr.,  occupied  exceptional  place 
among  the  physicians  of  Middlesex  County. 

Dr.  Oliver  Prescott  was  a  son  of  the  Honorable 
Benjamin  and  Abigail  (Oliver)  Prescott,  and  born  at 
Groton  on  April  27,  1731.  He  graduated  at  Harvard 
College  with  the  highest  honors  in  1750,  and  then 
studied  medicine  under  the  tuition  of  Dr.  Ebenezer 


GROTON.  99 

Kobie,  of  Sudbury.  On  October  19,  1756,  he  was 
married  to  Lydia,  daughter  of  David  and  Abigail 
(Jennison)  Baldwin,  of  Sudbury,  and  they  had  eight 
children.  His  high  standing  in  the  profession  gave 
him  a  place  as  a  charter  member  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Medical  Society  in  1781,  and  at  the  commence- 
ment of  1791  Harvard  College  conferred  upon  him  the 
honorary  degree  of  M.D.  He  was  also  the  president 
of  the  Middlesex  Medical  Society  during  the  whole 
period  of  its  existence.  Apart  from  his  professional 
laurels  he  likewise  enjoyed  many  civil  and  military 
honors. 

Dr.  Prescott  was  town  clerk  during  thirteen  years, 
and  selectman  during  thirty-two  years.  Before  the 
Revolution  he  held  the  offices  of  major,  lieutenant- 
colonel,  colonel  and  general,  respectively,  in  the 
militia.  Subsequently,  in  the  year  1778,  he  was  ap- 
pointed third  major-general  of  the  militia,  and  in 
1781  second  major-general,  but  soon  afterward,  on  ac- 
count of  ill  health,  he  resigned  the  position.  He 
was  a  justice  throughout  the  Commonwealth, a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  War,  a  member  of  the  Council  of 
Massachusetts,  until  he  declined  the  office,  and,  in  the 
year  1779,  was  appointed  Judge  of  Probate,  and  con- 
tinued as  such  until  his  death.  He  took  an  active 
part  in  suppressing  Shays's  Rebellion,  which  had 
many  supporters  in  this  neighborhood.  Dr.  Prescott 
was  one  of  the  original  trustees  of  Groton  Academy, 
and  the  first  president  of  the  board  ;  and  he  was  also 
a  member  of  the  American  Academy  of  Arts  and 
Sciences.  He  died  on  November  17,  1804,  aged  sev- 
enty-three years,  and  his  wife  on  September  27,  1798, 
aged  sixty-two  years. 


100  GROTON. 

Dr.  Oliver  Prescott,  Jr.,  was  the  eldest  son  of  Dr. 
Oliver  Prescott,  and  born  at  Groton  on  April  4,  1762. 
He  pursued  his  preparatory  studies  under  Master 
Moody  at  Dummer  Academy,  and  graduated  at  Har- 
vard College  in  the  class  of  1783.  He  studied  medi- 
cine under  the  direction  of  his  father  and  Dr.  James 
Lloyd,  of  Boston,  and  established  himself  in  practice 
in  his  native  town.  With  every  social  advantage  in 
his  favor  he  at  once  took  high  rank  as  a  physician, 
and  soon  enjoyed  a  wide  reputation.  On  Feb.  22, 
1791,  he  was  married  to  Nancy,  daughter  of  Captain 
Leonard  and  Ann  (Hall)  Whiting,  of  Hollis,  N.  H., 
and  they  had  nine  children.  His  wife  died  on  Sept. 
13,  1821,  aged  fifty-eight  years;  and  he  was  married, 
secondly,  on  Nov.  6,  1823,  to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Atkins) 
Oliver,  w4io  was  born  on  Dec.  30,  1762,  and  died  on 
May  21,  1835.  Dr.  Prescott  was  the  town  clerk  and 
chairman  of  the  selectmen  from  the  year  1804  to  1811, 
and  represented  the  town  in  the  General  Court  dur- 
ing the  sessions  of  1809  and  1810.  He  was  a  trustee 
of  Groton  Academy  from  the  time  of  its  incorpora- 
tion until  1811,  when  he  removed  to  Newburyport, 
where  he  died  on  September  26,  1827. 

Dr.  Joseph  Mansfield  was  a  son  of  Richard  and 
Elizabeth  (Whittemore)  Mansfield,  and  born  in  Lynn 
on  December  17,  1770.  He  graduated  at  Harvard 
College  in  the  class  of  1801,  and  among  his  class- 
mates were  Tyler  Bigelow,  Thomas  Bond,  James  Ab- 
bot Cummings,  Timothy  Fuller,  Luther  Lawrence, 
Stephen  Miuot  and  William  BantSnllivan,  either  na- 
tives or  at  some  time  residents  of  Groton.  Both  while  an 
undergraduate,  and  while  studying  his  profession,  he 


GROTON.  101 

kept  the  district  school  on  Farmer's  Row,  and 
even  after  he  had  acquired  his  profession  he 
taught  the  same  school  with  the  understanding  that 
his  hours  of  instruction  should  conform  somewhat  to 
the  needs  of  his  practice.  While  in  college  he  took 
high  rank  as  a  scholar,  and,  at  an  exhibition  near  the 
end  of  his  junior  year,  he  delivered  a  poem  which  at- 
tracted some  attention  in  literary  circles,  and  subse- 
quently was  printed.  He  studied  medicine  with  Dr. 
Oliver  Prescott,  Jr.,  and,  on  June  11,  1805,  was  mar- 
ried to  Abi,  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Meriel  (Nich- 
ols) Hartwell.  About  the  year  1810  he  built  the 
large  dwelling,  with  brick  ends,  near  the  Baptist 
meeting-house,  where  he  resided  until  his  death, 
which  took  place  on  April  23,  1830. 

His  son.  Dr.  George  Mansfield,  born  at  Groton  on 
October  8,  1807,  studied  medicine  and  graduated  at 
the  Harvard  Medical  School  in  the  class  of  1832,  He 
was  married,  on  November  15, 1832,  to  Hannah  Maria 
Curtis,  of  Boston,  and  died  at  Janesville,  Wisconsin 
on  July  25,  1869. 

Dr.  Amos  Bancroft  was  a  son  of  Edward  and  Rach- 
el (Howard — Barron)  Bancroft,  of  Pepperell,  where 
he  was  born  on  May  23,  1767.  He  graduated  at 
Harvard  College  in  the  class  of  1791,  and  from  the 
same  institution  took  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Med- 
icine in  the  year  1794.  He  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession  at  Westford,  but  soon  afterwards  removed 
to  Weslon,  where  he  remained  until  the  year  1811. 
He  was  married — first,  on  August  29, 1796,  to  Abigail, 
daughter  of  Captain  Leonard  and  Ann  (Hall)  Whit- 
ing, of  Hollis,  New  Hampshire,  who  was  born  on 


1 02  GROTOX. 

March  25,  1772,  and  died  at  Weston,  on  December  4, 
1799;  secondly,  on  October  7,  1800,  to  Sarah,  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  and  Faith  (Savage)  Bass,  of  Boston, 
who  was  born  on  April  21,  1768,  and  died  on  April 
30, 1837  ;  thirdly,  on  October  17,  1839,  to  Eliza  Doane, 
of  Boston,  who  died  on  November  11,  1840  ;  and 
fourthly,  on  October  31,  1841,  to  Mary,  daughter  of 
Eichard  and  Martha  (Hall)  Kneeland,  of  Westford> 
who  was  born  on  February  25,  1789,  and  died  on 
April  22,  1862. 

Dr.  Bancroft  had  a  large  practice  and,  at  various 
times,  a  considerable  number  of  medical  students  under 
his  tuition,  including  among  them  the  brothers  James 
Freeman  Dana  and  Samuel  Luther  Dana,  who  were 
grandsons  of  the  Eeverend  Samuel  Dana,  a  former 
minister  of  the  town,  and  graduates  of  Harvard  Col- 
lege in  the  class  of  1813.  He  was  frequently  called 
in  consultation  by  other  physicians,  and  often  at  a 
long  distance  from  home.  In  those  days  there  were 
no  railroads,  and  traveling  was  attended  with  many 
diflSculties.  During  the  winter,  when  the  roads  were 
blocked  up  wnth  snow,  he  was  obliged,  sometimes,  to 
travel  on  snow-shoes;  and,  as  his  patients  lived  many 
miles  apart,  he  was  often  absent  from  home  for  sever- 
al successive  days.  To  add  to  his  discomfort  on  such 
occasions  it  was  difficult  to  obtain  proper  food,  though 
there  were  at  that  period  but  few  dwellings  where  he 
could  not  obtain  some  New  England  rum  or  other 
spirit  to  help  restore  exhausted  nature.  In  the  year 
1811  bis  Abna  Mater  conferred  upon  him  the  honor- 
ary degree  of  M.D. 

On  July  12,  1848,  while  walking  down  State  Street, 


GROTON.  103 

in  Boston,  he  stepped  from  the  sidewalk,  in  order  to 
cross  the  way,  when  a  wagon,  coming  along  rapidly, 
knocked  him  down,  and  injured  him  so  severely  that 
he  died  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours. 

Dr.  Mansfield  and  Dr.  Bancroft  were  the  last  phy- 
sicians of  the  town,  who,  while  visiting  patients,  used  to 
ride  on  horseback  with  saddle-bags,  although  they 
also  drove  much  in  sulkies.  In  early  days,  owing  to 
bad  roads,  physicians  on  their  professional  rounds 
were  in  the  habit  of  riding,  and  it  was  near  the  be- 
ginning of  the  present  century,  in  this  neighborhood, 
that  the  sulky,  or  covered  gig,  came  into  fashion 
among  them.  At  the  present  time  the  four-wheeled 
buggy  solely  is  used  by  physicians. 

Dr.  Joshua  Green  was  a  son  of  Joshua  and  Mary 
(Mosley)  Green,  and  born  at  Wendell,  on  October  8, 
1797.  He  attended  school  at  the  academies  in  New 
Salem,  Westfield  and  Milton,  and  graduated  at  Har- 
vard College  in  the  class  of  1818.  He  studied  medi- 
cine in  the  office  of  Dr.  John  Collins  Warren,  of  Bos- 
ton, and  took  the  degree  of  M.D.  at  the  Harvard 
Medical  School  in  the  year  1821.  Soon  after  taking 
this  degree  he  was  appointed  apothecary  at  the 
Massachusetts  General  Hospital,  then  just  opened 
for  the  reception  of  patients,  where  he  remained  for 
one  year.  At  that  time  the  apothecary,  in  addition 
to  his  own  duties,  performed  those  of  the  house- 
physician  and  the  house-surgeon.  In  March,  1823, 
Dr.  Green  began  to  practice  his  profession  at  Sunder- 
land, and  on  January  5,  1824,  was  married  to  Eliza, 
daughter  of  Major  Samuel  and  Susanna  (Parker) 
Lawrence,  of  Groton.     His  wife  was  born  on  March 


104  GROTOX. 

13,  1796,  and  died  on  August  20,  1874.  During  a 
winter  of  his  college  course  he  taught  a  district  school 
at  Groton,  now  known  as  the  Moors  School,  and 
boarded  in  the  family  of  Major  Lawrence,  who  lived 
on  Farmers'  Eow. 

In  the  spring  of  1825  Dr.  Green  removed  to  Gro- 
ton, where  he  continued  the  practice  of  medicine,  but 
after  about  ten  years,  owing  to  ill  health,  he  gradually 
gave  up  his  profession.  In  the  year  1832  a  pulmon- 
ary hemorrhage  compelled  him  to  pass  a  winter  in 
the  island  of  Cuba,  where  to  a  fair  degree  he  regained 
his  health.  He  joined  the  Massachusetts  Medical 
Society  in  1826,  and  for  many  years  was  one  of  its 
councillors.  He  represented  the  town  in  the  Legis- 
lature during  the  years  1836  and  1837,  and  was  one 
of  the  trustees  of  Lawrence  Academy  from  1831  to 
1867,  and  during  most  of  this  time  either  the  secre- 
tary or  the  president  of  the  board.  On  the  seventy- 
fourth  anniversary  of  his  birth  (October  8,  1871)  he 
had  a  paralytic  stroke,  from  the  effects  of  which  he 
never  fully  recovered.  After  the  death  of  his  wife  he 
went  to  live  with  his  only  daughter,  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Lawrence  (Green — Kendall)  Swan,  at  Morristown, 
New  Jersey,  where  he  died  on  June  5,  1875. 

Dr.  Micah  Eldredge  was  a  son  of  Hezekiah  and 
Abigail  (Whiton)  Eldredge,  and  born  at  Ashford, 
Connecticut,  on  May  24,  1776.  He  studied  medicine 
with  an  elder  brother,  Dr.  Hezekiah  Eldredge,  and 
in  1798  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
Dunstable,  where  he  resided  for  many  years,  living 
first  on  one  side  of  the  State  line  and  then  on  the 
other.  On  October  1,  1797,  Dr.  Eldredge  was  married 


GROTON.  105 

to  Sally,  daughter  of  Tilly  and  Abigail  (Hale)  But- 
trick,  of  Princeton.  In  1826  lie  removed  to  Groton, 
where  he  remained  for  two  years,  when  he  established 
himself  at  Dunstable,  New  Hampshire,  (now  Nashua). 
The  honorary  degree  of  M.D.  was  conferred  upon  him 
by  Dartmouth  College  in  1841.  He  died  at  Milford, 
New  Hampshire,  on  July  2,  1849,  and  was  buried  in 
the  Hollis  Street  Cemetery  at  Nashua. 

Dr.  Jacob  Williams  was  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Han- 
nah (Sheple)  Williams,  and  bora  at  Groton  on  July 
16, 1789.  About  the  year  1816  he  was  practicing  med- 
icine at  the  Gilmanton  Iron  Works,  New  Hampshire, 
and  in  June,  1822,  he  was  married  to  Irene  Locke,  of 
Epsom.  In  the  year  1828  he  returned  to  his  native 
town  and  established  himself  as  a  physician ;  and 
while  here  his  wife  died  on  March  11,  1831.  During 
the  next  year  he  was  married,  secondly,  to  Betsey 
Wakefield,  of  Kennebunk,  Maine.  He  remained  at 
Groton  until  the  year  1835,  when  he  removed  to  Ken- 
sington, New  Hampshire,  where  he  died  on  July  7, 
1857. 

Dr.  James  Wilson  was  a  son  of  the  Honorable  Abiel 
and  Abigail  (Putnam)  Wilson,  and  born  at  Wilton, 
N.  H.,  Decejjiber  4,  1796,  on  the  farm  where  his  great- 
grandfather, Jacob  Putnam,  began  a  settlement  in  the 
year  1739.  He  studied  medicine  under  the  tuition  of 
Dr.  John  Wallace,  of  Milford,  New  Hampshire,  and 
graduated  at  the  Dartmouth  Medical  School  in  the 
class  of  1821.  He  was  practicing  his  profession  at 
Boston  in  the  early  part  of  1825,  as  his  name  appears 
in  the  directory  of  that  year,  and  he  removed  to  Gro- 
ton near  the  beginning  of  1828.     He  was  married,  in 


106  GKOTON. 

February  of  that  year,  to  Elizabeth  P.  Wilson,  of  Bos- 
ton, a  daughter  of  the  city  crier;  and  he  came  here 
under  the  patronage  of  Dr.  Amos  Bancroft,  who  de- 
sired some  respite  from  a  large  practice,  and  acted 
as  his  sponsor  in  the  community.  After  living  at 
Groton  during  two  years  he  returned  to  Boston  and 
passed  a  brief  period,  and  then  removed  to  New 
York,  where  he  remained  for  a  short  time.  Soon  af- 
terward he  went  to  Cuba,  where  he  spent  the  remain- 
der of  his  days,  and  died  in  Matanzas  on  November 
23,  1868. 

Dr.  George  Stearns  was  the  youngest  child  of  Eph- 
raim  and  Molly  (Gilman)  Stearns,  and  born  at  Wal- 
pole,  New  Hampshire,  on  May  10,  1802.  He  gradu- 
ated at  the  Harvard  Medical  School  in  the  class  of 
1827,  and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Bos- 
ton, where  he  remained  about  three  years,  when  he 
settled  at  Groton.  He  was  married,  on  July  2,  1868, 
to  Mrs.  Ann  (Moulton)  Gilson,  widow  of  Joshua  Gil- 
son,  of  Groton.  Dr.  Stearns  was  the  last  survivor  of 
thirteen  children,  and  died  on  March  7, 1882,  at  which 
time  he  was  the  oldest  physician  in  the  town. 

Dr.  Amos  Farnsworth  was  a  son  of  Major  Amos  and 
Elizabeth  (Rockwood)  Farnsworth,  and  born  at  Gro- 
ton on  August  30,  1788.  He  studied  his  profession 
with  Dr.  Calvin  Thomas,  of  Tyngsborough,  and  with 
Dr.  John  Collins  Warren,  of  Boston,  but  before  his 
graduation  he  was  commissioned  as  surgeon's  mate  in 
the  Fourth  Massachusetts  Infantry  Regiment,  on 
April  14,  1812,  just  before  war  was  declared  by  the 
United  States  with  Great  Britain ;  and  two  months 
later,  on  June  15th,  his  regiment  left  South  Boston  for 


GROTON.  107 

Burlington,  Vermont,  for  service  on  the  frontier.  He 
remained  with  the  Fourth  Infantry  during  thirteen 
months,  when  he  resigned  his  commission  on  May  14, 
1813.  During  the  following  summer  he  graduated  at 
the  Harvard  Medical  School,  and  began  the  practice 
of  his  profession  in  Boston,  where  he  remained  until 
the  year  1832,  when  he  removed  to  his  native  town. 
On  March  21,  1823,  Dr.  Farnsworth  was  married  to 
Mrs.  Mary  (Bourne)  Webber,  widow  of  Captain  Seth 
Webber,  of  Bos^.on.  He  died  in  Roxbury  on  July  31, 
1861,  and  his  wife  in  Boston,  on  October  27,  1828, 
aged  thirty-seven  years. 

Dr.  Amos  Bigelow  Bancroft  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Amos 
and  Sarah  (Bass)  Bancroft,  and  born  at  Groton  on 
April  3,  1811.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in 
the  class  of  1831,  and  at  the  Harvard  Medical  School 
in  1834.  He  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
Groton  in  connection  with  his  father ;  and  on  June 
11, 1840,  was  married  to  Marietta,  daughter  of  Nathan 
and  India  (Emerson)  Shepley,  of  Pepperell.  Dr.  Ban- 
croft remained  in  town  until  the  spring  of  1853,  when 
he  removed  to  Charlestown,  where  for  more  than  ten 
years  he  was  physician  to  the  State  Prison.  Under 
the  administration  of  Gen.  Grant  he  was  appointed 
superintendent  and  surgeon  in  charge  of  the  Marine 
Hospital  at  Chelsea,  which  position  he  held  from  Au- 
gust 1,  1869,  to  June  30,  1877,  when  he  took  up  his 
residence  in  Boston.  While  traveling  abroad  with 
his  family  he  died  in  Florence,  Italy,  on  November 
8,  1879,  much  lamented  by  a  wide  circle  of  friends 
and  patients  at  home, — leaving  a  widow  and  two 
daughters  to  mourn  his  loss. 


108  GROTOX. 

Dr.  Abel  Hervey  Wilder  was  a  native  of  Winchen- 
don.  where  he  was  born  on  June  16,  1801.  He  was  a 
son  of  Levi  and  Grace  (Wilder)  Divoll ;  but  by  an 
Act  of  the  Legislature  on  February  7,  1812,  his  name 
was  changed  from  Hervey  Divoll  to  Abel  Hervey 
Wilder,  keeping  the  surname  of  his  mother.  He 
graduated  at  the  Dartmouth  Medical  School  in  the 
class  of  1828,  and  began  to  practice  his  profession  at 
Temple,  New  Hampshire.  On  February  29,  1828,  he 
was  married  at  New  Ipswich,  New  Hampshire,  to 
Mary,  daughter  of  Ephraim  and  Elizabeth  (Bent) 
Brown,  a  native  of  Lincoln. 

Dr.  Wilder  subsequently  removed  to  Pepperell,  and 
in  the  year  1836  came  to  Groton,  where  he  had  the 
management  of  an  institution  for  the  treatment  of 
nervous  diseases.  He  continued  to  live  here  until 
the  death  of  his  wife,  which  took  place  on  February 
12,  1843,  when  he  removed  to  Pittsfield.  After  leav- 
ing Groton  he  was  married  for  the  second  time  ;  and 
after  a  residence  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  he 
died  at  Bloomtield,  New  Jersey,  on  January  2,  1864. 

Dr.  James  Merrill  Cummings  was  a  son  of  Jacob 
Abbot  and  Elizabeth  (Merrill)  Cummings,  and  born 
in  Boston  on  July  27,  1810.  He  graduated  at  Bow- 
doin  College  in  the  class  of  1830,  and  at  the  Bowdoin 
Medical  School  in  1834.  On  November  4,  1835,  he 
was  married  to  Sarah  Thurston  Phillips,  daughter  of 
Joel  and  Sarah  Phillips  (Thurston)  Hall,  of  Portland, 
Maine.  In  the  spring  of  1842  Dr.  Cummings  came 
to  Groton  and  bought  out  the  establishment  of  Dr. 
Wilder,  which  he  conducted  for  four  years;  and  in 
the  spring  of  1846  he  removed  to  Salem,  where  he  re- 


GROTOX.  109 

mained  for  four  years,  when  he  settled  in  Portland, 
where  he  died  on  July  20,  1883.  His  widow  died  on 
January  29,  1890,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-five 
years. 

Dr.  Rufus  Shackford,  a  son  of  Captain  Samuel  and 
Hannah  (Currier)  Shackford,  was  born  at  Chester, 
New  Hampshire,  on  December  17,  1816 ;  studied 
medicine  under  the  tuition  of  Dr.  Cummings,  and 
graduated  at  the  Harvard  Medical  School  in  the  class 
of  1845.  He  pracjticed  for  a  brief  period  at  Groton  in 
the  office  of  his  preceptor,  after  which  he  lived  in 
Lowell  for  a  short  time,  when  he  removed  to  Port- 
land, Maine,  where  he  is  now  in  practice. 

Dr.  Norman  Smith  was  a  son  of  Jesse  and  Nabby 
(Kittredge)  Smith,  and  born  at  Mount  Vernon,  New 
Hampshire,  on  October  13,  1811.  He  graduated  at 
the  Vermont  Medical  College,  Woodstock,  in  the 
class  of  1843,  and  began  to  practice  medicine  at  Gro- 
ton, where  he  passed  his  whole  professional  life,  with 
the  exception  of  four  years  spent  in  Nashua,  New 
Hampshire.  In  April,  1861,  at  the  outbreak  of  the 
Rebellion,  he  went  out  as  surgeon  of  the  Sixth  Massa- 
chusetts Militia  Regiment,  and  was  with  that  famous 
organization^on  its  march  through  Baltimore  and 
during  its  first  campaign  of  three  months.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Union  Congregational  Church,  and 
prominent  in  all  matters  connected  with  the  welfare 
of  the  town.  His  death  took  place  at  his  farm  on 
Common  Street,  on  May  24,  1888,  and  the  funeral,  on 
May  28th,  was  conducted  under  Masonic  rites. 

Dr.  Smith  was  married,  first,  on  May  3,  1838,  to 
Harriet,    daughter    of  John  and   Lydia   Sleeper,  of 


110  GROTON. 

Francestown,  New  Hampshire,  who  died  on  Septem- 
ber 2,  1839 ;  secondly,  on  November  6, 1843,  to  Mari- 
ett  Sleeper,  a  sister  of  his  first  wife,  who  died  on  July 
6,  1846;  thirdly,  on  September  22,  1847,  to  Abigail 
Maria,  daughter  of  Ephraim  and  Sarah  (King) 
Brown,  of  Wilton,  New  Hampshire,  who  died  on 
July  17,  1852;  fourthly,  on  September  12,  1853,  to 
Sarah  Young,  daughter  of  Solomon  and  Dorcas  (Hop- 
kins) Frost,  who  died  on  December  4,  1856,  and, 
fifthly  and  lastly,  on  September  11,  1866,  to  Mrs. 
Mary  Jane  (King)  Lee,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Ee- 
becca  (Parmenter)  King,  of  Eutland,  Massachusetts. 

Dr.  Lemuel  Fuller  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Lemuel  and 
Mary  (Shepherd)  Fuller,  and  born  at  Marlborough, 
on  April  2,  1811.  He  graduated  at  the  Vermont 
Medical  College,  Woodstock,  in  the  class  of  1844, 
and  came  to  GrotOn  from  Harvard  in  the  year  1847. 
On  June  6,  1844,  he  was  married  to  Catherine  Palli- 
seur,  daughter  of  Francis  and  Maria  Foster  (Palliseur) 
Barrett,  of  Concord.  Dr.  Fuller  left  Groton  in  1850, 
and  died  at  Harvard  during  a  temporary  visit  from 
home  February  11,  1864.  During  the  last  ten  years 
of  his  life  he  lived  at  North  Weymouth. 

Dr.  Miles  SiDaulding  was  a  son  of  Qtoptain  Isaac 
and  Lucy  (Emery)  Spaulding,  and  born  at  Townsend, 
on  April  4,  1819.  He  graduated  at  the  Berkshire 
Medical  Institution,  Pittsfield,  in  the  class  of  1842, 
and  he  soon  afterward  established  himself  at  Dunsta- 
ble, where  he  remained  until  the  year  1851,  when  he 
removed  to  Groton.  Dr.  Spaulding  was  married, 
first,  on  January  12,  1848,  to  Sophia  Louisa,  daughter 
of    Aaron   and   Lucinda    (Munson)  Miller,    of  New 


GROTON.  Ill 

Haven,  Connecticut,  who  died  on  September  4,  1852  ; 
and,  secondly,  on  August  27, 1863,  to  Mary  Mehetable, 
only  child  of  Stephen  and  Mary  (Kilborn — French) 
Stickney.  He  still  lives  at  Groton,  the  senior  physi- 
cian of  the  town. 

Dr.  Peter  Pineo  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Sarah  (Stead- 
man)  Pineo,  and  was  born  at  Cornwallis,  Nova  Scotia, 
on  March  6,  1825.  He  graduated  at  the  Bowdoin 
Medical  School  in  the  class  of  1847,  and  was  married 
in  Boston,  on  May  8,  1850,  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
Kendall  and  Betsey  (Hill)  Crosby.  In  the  spring  of 
1853  he  came  to  Groton,  where  he  remained  for  two 
years,  after  which  time  he  removed  to  Quechee,  a 
village  in  the  town  of  Hartford,  Vermont.  On  June 
11,  1861,  he  was  commissioned  as  surgeon  of  the 
Ninth  Regiment  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  and  soon 
afterward  was  promoted  to  a  brigade  surgeoncy, 
which  office  was  abolished  on  July  2,  1862,  by  an 
Act  of  Congress,  when  officers  of  that  rank  became 
surgeons  of  United  States  Volunteers.  On  February 
9,  1863,  he  was  made  medical  inspector  United 
States  Army,  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel, 
and  he  served  with  distinction  until  the  end  of  the 
war.     At  the  present  time  he  is  a  resident  of  Boston. 

Dr.  Kendall  Davis  was  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Han- 
nah Davis,  and  born  at  New  Ipswich,  New  Hamp- 
shire, on  December  4,  1802.  According  to  the  State 
Register  of  the  years  1847-50,  he  was  then  living  at 
Groton,  where  he  practiced  for  a  short  time.  From 
this  town  he  went  to  Athol,  and  died  at  Templeton 
on  September  20,  1875. 

Dr.  Richard  Upton  Piper  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and 


112  GROTOX. 

Mary  (Folsom)  Piper,  and  was  boru  at  Stratham, 
Xew  Hampshire.  He  graduated  at  the  Dartmouth 
Medical  School  in  the  class  of  1840,  and  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Portland,  Maine,  \Nhere 
he  was  married,  on  November  8,  1841,  to  Elizabeth 
Frances  Folsom,  a  native  of  Portsmouth,  New  Hamp- 
shire. In  the  year  1864  he  came  to  Groton  and  re- 
mained five  years,  though  without  engaging  in  the 
active  practice  of  medicine.  He  afterward  lived  in 
Chicago,  but  is  now  a  resident  of  Washington.  He 
is  an  author  of  some  note,  having  written  a  work  en- 
titled "  Operative  Surgery  Illustrated,"  and  another 
on  "  The  Trees  of  America." 

Dr.  Joseph  Franklin  Coolidge  was  a  son  of  Charles 
and  Nancy  (Spauldiug)  Coolidge,  and  born  at  West- 
minster on  Sept.  11,  1837.  He  graduated  at  the  Har- 
vard Medical  School  in  the  class  of  1862,  and  in  the 
year  1864  came  to  Groton,  where  he  remained  until 
his  death,  which  took  place  on  June  1,  1865.  Dr. 
Coolidge  was  one  of  a  family  of  ten  children,  and  was 
never  married. 

Dr.  William  Ambrose  Webster  was  the  only  son  of 
William  Gordon  and  Susan  (Ambrose)  Webster,  and 
born  at  Rochester,  New  Hampshire,  June  13, 1830.  He 
graduated  at  the  Medical  School  of  the  Long  Island 
College  Hospital,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  in  the  spring  of 
1862.  Soon  after  graduation,  on  July  1,  1862,  he  was 
commissioned  as  surgeon  of  the  Ninth  New  Hamp- 
shire Volunteers,  which  left  for  the  seat  of  war  on 
August  25,  1862,  and  he  continued  in  that  capacity 
until  January  5,  1865,  when  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged.    In  September  of  that  year  he  came  to  Gro- 


GROTON.  .113 

too,  where  lie  remained  during  three  years,  when  he 
removed  to  Westford.  He  died  in  Manchester,  N. 
H.,  on  February  8,  1887.  Dr.  Webster  was  twice 
married, — first,  in  August,  1851,  to  Mary  Anne  Kaime, 
of  Pittsfield,  N.  H.,  and  secondly,  on  August  9, 1858, 
to  Marion  M.  Ladd,  of  Middlesex,  Vt.  By  the  first 
marriage  two  daughters  were  born,  who  both  are  now 
living,  and  by  the  second  marriage  one  daughter, 
Susan  Marion  Webster,  was  born  at  Groton  on  June 
25, 1866,  but  she  died  before  her  father. 

Dr.  David  Roscoe  Steere  is  a  son  of  Scott  and  Mary 
(Mathewson)  Steere,  and  was  born  at  Lisbon,  Connec-. 
ticut,  April  27,  1847.  He  graduated  at  the  Dartmouth 
Medical  School  in  the  class  of  1871,  and,  after  gradu- 
ation, practiced  for  a  few  months  at  Savoy.  In  July, 
1872,  he  came  to  Groton,  where  he  has  since  re- 
mained ;  and  in  the  year  1878  he  built  the  house,  at 
the  corner  of  Main  and  Church  Streets,  which  he 
now  occupies.  On  June  18,  1873,  Dr.  Steere  was  mar- 
ried to  Adelia,  daughter  of  Jephtha  and  Betsey  (Boyn- 
ton)  Hartwell. 

Dr.  Edw^ard  Hubbard  Winslow  was  a  son  of  the 
Eeverend  Hubbard  and  Susan  Ward  (Cutler)  Wins- 
low,  and  born  in  Boston  on  Dec.  26,  1835.  He  was 
married,  on  Sept.  1,  1859,  to  Helen  H.Ayer,  of  Mont- 
vale,  Me.,  and  in  the  early  spring  of  1875  came  to 
Groton,  where  he  remained  about  two  years.  Dr. 
Winslow  died  in  New  York  on  Oct.  16,  1873. 

Dr.  George  Washington  Stearns  is  a  son  of  Paul  and 

Lucy  (Kneeland)  Stearns,  and  was  born  at  Reading, 

Vermont,  on  Dec.  25,  1814.     His  mother  was  a  sister 

of  Abner  Kneeland,  the  preacher  and  author.     He 

8 


114  GROTOX. 

took  his  medical  degree  first  in  March,  1857,  at  Penn 
Medical  University,  Philadelphia,  and  secondly,  in 
1858,  at  the  Hahnemann  Medical  College,  in  the  same 
city.  In  the  spring  of  1878  Dr.  Stearns  came  to  Gro- 
ton  from  Marblehead,  and  in  November,  1882,  re- 
moved to  Holliston,  where  he  remained  a  few  years, 
when  he  went  to  Holyoke,  of  which  city  he  is  now  a 
resident.  He  was  married,  first,  on  May  8,  1838,  at 
South  Yarmouth,  to  Sylvia  Crowell,  and  secondly,  on 
July  19,  1877,  at  New  Bedford,  to  Julia  Amanda, 
daughter  of  Cyrus  and  Eliza  Eastman  (Cottrell) 
Ware. 

Dr.  William  Barnard  Warren  is  a  son  of  Noailles 
Lafayette  and  Mary  (Barnard)  Warren,  and  was  born 
at  Leominster  on  Nov.  16,  1853.  He  graduated  at 
the  Medical  Department  of  the  University  of  the 
City  of  New  York  in  the  class  of  1881,  having  pre- 
viously attended  a  course  of  lectures  in  1879  at  the 
Dartmouth  Medical  School.  In  December,  1882,  he 
came  to  Groton  and  established  himself  in  practice, 
where  he  now  remains.  Dr.  Warren  was  married  at 
Groton  on  Oct.  31,  1883,  to  Ardelia  Temple,  daughter 
of  Thomas  Haines  and  Eelief  (Cummings)  Smith,  of 
Boston. 

Dr.  Marion  Zachariah  Putnam  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Sophia  (Weaver)  Putnam,  and  was  born  at  Mount 
Sterling,  Illinois,  on  August  14,  1844.  In  the  year 
1870  he  graduated  at  the  Medical  Department  of 
the  Northwestern  University,  Chicago,  and  began  to 
practice  in  his  native  town.  On  September  9,  1880, 
Dr.  Putnam  was  married  to  Harriet  Elizabeth,  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  Spencer  and  Harriet  Heyward  (Law- 


GROTON.  1  1  5 

ton)  Farnsworth,  of  Groton.  About  the  year  1883  he 
came  to  this  town  from  Lowell,  where  he  had  resided 
for  a  short  period.  He  lives  on  Pleasant  Street,  but 
has  retired  from  the  active  practice  of  his  profession. 

The  Fitchburg  Railroad  was  first  opened  to  public 
travel,  through  the  southerly  part  of  Groton,  on  De- 
cember 30,  1844;  and  the  Peterborough  and  Shirley 
Railroad,  under  the  management  of  the  Fitchburg 
company,  was  opened  during  the  year  1847.  The 
Worcester  and  Nashua  Railroad  was  operated  for  reg- 
ular business,  through  its  entire  length,  on  December 
18,  1848,  though  the  section  from  Groton  Junction  to 
Clinton  had  been  previously  opened  on  July  3,  1848, 
and  from  Clinton  to  Worcester  on  November  22d;  and 
the  Stony  Brook  began  its  operations  on  July  1,  1848. 
Soon  after  these  interconnections  were  made,  a  village 
sprang  up  in  the  neighborhood,  which  became  popu- 
larly known  as  the  "  Junction,"  though  by  the  Post- 
Office  Department  at  Washington  it  was  officially  called 
"  South  Groton."  On  March  1,  1861,  the  name  of  the 
post-office  was  changed  by  the  Department  from 
South  Groton  to  Groton  Junction.  This  settlement, 
growing  in  numbers,  after  a  while  was  setoff  from  the 
parent  town,  and,  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature  on 
February  14,  1871,  incorporated  as  a  distinct  town- 
ship, under  the  name  of  Ayer.  After  this  date,  there- 
fore, the  list  of  physicians,  so  far  as  they  relate  to  the 
Junction,  and  their  biographicaL  sketches,  will  cease. 

Dr.  Ebenezer  Willis  was  a  son  of  John  and  Nancy 
(Spriggens)  Willis,  and  born  at  Newmarket,  New 
Hampshire,  on  January  26,  1815.  He  was  married  at 
Exeter,  on  July  23,  1836,  to  Mary  Frances,  daughter 


1 1 6  GROTON. 

of  Benjamin  and  Mary  Seavey  (Neal)  Batchelder. 
Dr.  Willis  came  to  Groton  Junction  in  March,  1849, 
and  was  the  pioneer  physician  of  the  place.  He  died 
at  Ayer  on  May  10,  1890. 

Dr.  John  Quincy  Adams  McCollester  is  a  son  of 
Silas  and  Achsah  (Holman)  McCollester,  and  was 
born  at  Marlborough,  New  Hampshire,  on  May  3, 
1831.  He  took  his  degree  of  M.D.  from  the  Jefferson 
Medical  School  in  March,  1856.  Dr.  McCollester  was 
married,  first,  on  May  6,  1856,  to  Sarah  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Anna  (Longley)  Hazen,  of 
Shirley,  who  died  on  May  5,  1858 ;  and,  secondly,  on 
August  9,  1859,  to  Georgianna  Lydia,  daughter  of 
Daniel  and  Lydia  (Fisk)  Hunt,  of  Groton.  During 
the  War  of  the  Rebellion  he  was  the  surgeon  of  the 
Fifty-third  Regiment  Massachusetts  Militia,  having 
been  commissioned  on  December  1,  1862,  and  mus- 
tered out  of  the  service  on  September  2,  1863.  He  is 
now  a  resident  of  Waltham. 

.  Dr.  Edson  Champion  Chamberlin,  a  native  of  Thet- 
ford,  Vermont,  came  to  Groton  Junction  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1859  and  remained  one  year.  He  graduated 
at  the  Worcester  Medical  Institution  on  June  20, 
1854.  He  was  married  to  Mary  A.  Pierce,  of  South- 
bury,  Connecticut,  where  he  died  on  January  26, 1877, 
aged  fifty-six  years. 

Dr.  Gibson  Smith  came  to  Groton  Junction  from 
the  State  of  Maine  about  the  year  1866.  He  was  an 
"  eclectic  "  physician  and  a  spiritualist,  and  died  at 
Ayer  on  September  26,  1885,  aged  seventy  years. 

Dr.  John  Eleazer  Parsons  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Rosalinda  Davis  (Robbins)  Parsons,  and  was  born  at 


C4EOTOX.  117 

Harrison,  Maine,  on  November  20,  1835.  He  gradu- 
ated at  the  Harvard  Medical  School  in  the  class  of 
1863,  and  on  March  18th  of  the  same  year  was  com- 
missioned as  assistant  surgeon  of  the  Twenty-eighth 
Regiment  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  but  for  disability 
was  discharged  on  July  30,  1863.  Dr.  Parsons  next 
served  as  acting  assistant  surgeon.  United  States 
Navy  from  October  10,  1863,  to  December  10,  1866, 
when  he  resigned.  During  the  last  week  of  Decem- 
ber, 1866,  he  came  to  the  village  of  Groton  Junction 
(Ayer),  where  he  is  still  living. 

Dr.  Benjamin  Hall  Hartwell  is  a  son  of  Benjamin 
Franklin  and  Emma  (Whitman)  Hartwell,  and  was 
born  at  Acton  February  27,  1815.  He  received  his 
early  education  at  Lawrence  Academy,  Groton,  of 
which  institution  he  is  now  one  of  the  trustees,  and 
graduated  at  the  Jefferson  Medical  College,  Philadel- 
phia, on  March  7, 1868.  In  the  early  spring  of  1869 
Dr.  Hartwell  came  to  Groton  Junction  (Ayer),  where 
he  still  resides,  having  filled  many  prominent  posi- 
tions of  trust  and  usefulness.  He  was  married,  on 
September  10,  1879,  to  Helen  Emily,  daughter  of 
Major  Eusebius  Silsby  and  Mary  Jane  (Shattuck) 
Clark. 

Dr.  James  Moody  Moore  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Ebenezer 
Giles  and  Eliza  Sarah  (Hidden)  Moore,  and  born  at 
Wells,  Maine,  on  June  20,  1832.  He  graduated  at 
the  Dartmouth  Medical  School  in  the  class  of  1860, 
and  in  May  of  that  year  came  to  Groton  Junction, 
where  he  remained  until  April,  1861.  Dr.  Moore 
then  removed  to  Concord,  New  Hampshire,  his  father's 
home,  where  he  died  on  February  3,  1870. 


118  GROTON. 

A  List  of  Representatives  to  the  General 
Court,  from  the  colonial  period  to  the  present  time, 
with  the  dates  of  their  election  and  terms  of  service  ; 
including  also  the  names  of  certain  other  officers — 
1672-1887. 

The  Assistants  of  Massachusetts,  sometimes  called 
Magistrates,  were  the  forerunners  of  the  Provincial 
Council  and  the  State  Senate.  They  were  few  in 
number,  and,  in  point  of  dignity  and  honor,  next  to 
the  Governor  and  the  Deputy-Governor.  Major  Simon 
Willard,  the  only  citizen  of  the  town  who  ever  held 
the  office,  became  a  resident  in  the  year  1672,  remov- 
ing here  from  Lancaster  at  that  time.  He  was  first 
chosen  to  the  position  in  1654,  when  living  at  Con- 
cord. 

COURT   OF   ASSISTANTS. 
Date  of  first  Election.  Term  of  Service. 

May  3, 1654 Major  Simon  Willard 1672-1676 

(Died  in  office  on  April  24,  1676  ) 

SENATE. 

October  26,  1780     .   .  Honorable  James  Prescott  .   .   .    .1780-1784,1786 

June  1,  1797    ....  Honorable  Timotby  Bigelow 1797-1800 

May  6, 1805 Honorable  Samuel  Dana 1805-1812,1817 

(Mr.  Dana  was  president  of  the  body  during  the  years  1807, 1811  and  1812.) 

November  13,  1837    .  Honorable  Stuart  James  Park 1838, 1839 

January  9,  1851  .   .   .  Honorable  John  Boynton 1851 

November  13,  1854    .  Honorable  Abijah  Edwin  Hildreth 1855 

November  5,  1867  .   .  Honorable  Daniel  Needham 1868,  1869 

November  8, 1887  .   .  Honorable  Moses  Poor  Palmer    ....  1888-1890 
(Of  these  Senators  the  last  two  are  the  sole  survivors.) 

There  is  no  reference  in  the  Groton  records  to  the 
election  of  any  representatives  to  the  General  Court 
before  the  year  1693 ;  and  even  then  the  names  are 
not  given,  and  only  by  the  receipts  for  their  pay,  and 
bv  some  allusions  to  the  subject,  is  it  known  that  any 


GROTON.  119 

were  chosen  previously  to  that  date.  According  to 
the  Colonial  records,  Captain  James  Parker  served 
as  a  deputy,  or  representative,  during  the  session  be- 
ginning November  7,  1683,  and  it  is  probable  that  he 
was  the  only  one  from  the  town  under  the  first  char- 
ter. 

The  following  entries  comprise  every  allusion  to 
the  subject  found  in  the  earliest  volume  of  town 
records,  which  is  known  as  the  "  Indian  Roll" : 

"  Fabruary  the  6  1 693  the  inhabitanc  being  met  togather  for  to  Con- 
sider of  sum  waye  for  to  preueiit  futar  unnessesary  charges  did  by 
uott  declare  that  they  would  petishone  unto  the  geuaraill  Court  that 
ther  representetiue  might  be  relesed  from  atending  the  Seshone  any 
more 

"  the  same  daye  the  town  did  by  uott  declare  that  they  would  haue 
dacon  Lawranc  for  to  manidge  the  portistione  for  them  which  the 
Comithy  hath  draw  up"     (Page  107.) 

"Groton  Aprill  12  1693  Know  all  peple  by  thes  presenc  that  Na- 
thanaeill  Lawranc  senor  hath  Keseiued  full  satisfactione  by  the  select 
men  and  Constables  for  sarueing  the  town  as  a  Kepresentiue  at  the  two 
first  sestione 

"  I  saye  reseiued  by  me  Nathannil  laurance  " 

•'  Groton  April  12 1693  Know  all  peple  by  thes  presenc  that  John  Page 
senor  doth  fully  and  [sic]  Clearely  acquite  the  town  select  men  and 
constables  for  sarfing  the  town  as  a  representetiue  at  the  first  [session] 
held  at  boston  in  ye  year  1692 

"as  witness  my  hand  Joh  Page  seneyer" 

"  Payed  to  Nathanail  Lawranc  se[nior]  aight  pounds  in  mony 

"  Payed  to  John  Page  se[nior]  two  pounds  sixteen  shlUins  and  nine 
penc  in  mony  "     (Page  109.) 

"maye  15  1693  the  Town  being  met  together  ther  unto  orderlie 
warned  then  the  town  did  by  uote  declare  that  they  would  not  send  nor 
Choose  any  parson  nor  parsons  for  to  Kepresent  them  at  the  great  and 
genaraill  Corte  or  asembley 

"John  page  senor  Jeams  Kemp  John  Stone  and  William  Longley 
se[nior]  desent  from  this  uote    John  farnworth  and  Steuen  holden 

"  The  Town  Resons  is  they  do  not  iudg  themself  layable  nether 
acordind  to  Law  nor  Charter 

"as  atest  William  Longley  Town  Glarch" 

(Page  109.) 


120  GROTON. 

"October  30  1693  at  town  meeting  Legally  warned  Capt  Jeams 
Parker  was  chousen  to  Kepresent  the  town  at  ye  great  and  genaraeell 
assembly  held  at  boston  the  eaight  day  of  nouember  Insuing  the  date 
here  of"    (Page  110.) 

It  does  nof  appear  from  the  records  of  the  General 
Court  that  Captain  Parker  was  present  at  any  meet- 
ing of  this  session. 

"  Jenuary  1  169%  the  town  this  daj-e  did  ingage  to  sequer  the  seleck 
men  from  any  harm  or  dameidg  that  they  shall  meett  with  all  in  Re- 
spect of  Decou  nathanaell  Lawranc  in  that  he  doth  demand  thirty  6 
shillins  in  money  for  to  be  his  dew  for  sailing  the  said  town  as  a  repre- 
sentiue  and  the  town  doo  Eefuse  to  paye  the  said  money  the  seleck  men 
being  estemed  as  the  rest  of  the  inhabitanc  in  the  mater  also  the  town 
did  by  the  maier  note  chouse  Liftenant  Jonah  Prescot  &  Jeams  parker 
Ju  for  to  answer  in  the  case  if  the  said  Lawranc  should  tnible  ye  seleck 
men  or  town  and  they  did  exsept  of  the  choiss  and  they  are  to  haue 
their  paye  for  their  pains  when  the  said  town  is  able  to  paye  them 

"  as  wittness  William  Longlet  town  dark  " 

"John  page  sefuior]  desents  from  the  aboue  mentioned  propersis- 
tione"     (Pages  111,  112.) 

"at  a  town  meting  legelly  warned  May  9»i>  1699  :  Capt:  Prescot  was 
chosen  for  to  atende  the  genrell  Cort  :  for  to  sarue  as  a  represintiue 

"James  Blanchaed  Clark  " 

(Page  118.) 

"  May  17  1703  at  a  town  melting  legelly  warned  the  town  did  by  uot 
declare  that  thay  would  pay  deacon  larrance  the  mony  that  the  deacon 
demande  for  saruing  the  :  town  as  ane  represintiue  In  the  year  1693 

"  the  town  did  uote  and  declare  that  thay  would  borrow  the  mony 
of  thomaa  Williams  for  four  mouth  and  pay  for  the  use  of  it  one 
shilling 

"  James  Blanchard  ClarJ:  " 

(Page  124.) 

"Groton  May  ye  8  1705  then  oapt  prascot  was  chosen  to  sarue  as  a 
representetife  for  the  yer  Insuing 

"  Thomas  Tarbell  Clarch  " 
(Page  126.) 

"Groton  Maj- the  aight  1706  At  a  town  meting  legally  worned  to 
chuse  a  repreasantiue  the  fre  hooldars  and  other  inhabitants  qualafied 
acording  to  law  did  by  the  maior  uote  couse  [choose]  Simin  Stone  for 
this  year  1706  a  represantetiue 

"Joseph  Lakin  town  dork  " 

(Page  129.) 


GROTON.  121 

The  paging,  as  given  after  these  several  extracts, 
refers  to  the  printed  edition  of  "  The  Early  Kecords 
of  Groton,  Massachusetts,  1662-1707,"  from  which 
they  are  taken.  Since  the  year  1707,  and  even  before 
that  date,  in  the  town  records,  there  are  occasional 
omissions  of  the  names  of  representatives,  and  these 
gaps  I  have  filled  from  the  Colonial  and  Provincial 
records  at  the  State-House.  In  such  cases  the  names 
are  printed  within  brackets,  and  the  dates  given  with 
them  refer  to  the  beginning  of  each  session ;  and  in 
all  other  instances  in  the  list,  where  dates  of  the  ses- 
sions have  been  obtained  or  inferences  drawn  from 
these  records,  brackets  are  used. 

In  early  times  the  representative  to  the  General 
Court  was  paid  by  the  town  that  sent  him ;  and  this 
fact  furnishes  the  reason  why  the  town  of  Groton,  on 
May  15,  1693,  voted  not  to  send  one.  It  was  then 
poor,  and  staggering  under  a  heavy  load  in  the  shape 
of  debts  and  current  expenses.  Notwithstanding  the 
receipt  of  Deacon  Lawrence  given  on  April  12,  1693, 
the  town  was  threatened  by  him  with  a  suit  for  thir- 
ty-six shillings,  for  his  services  as  a  representative, 
perhaps  during  a  short  period  after  the  petition  of 
February  6,  1693,  when  it  was  voted  that  he  should 
be  released  from  attendance.  It  is  not  now  known 
whether  a  suit  was  ever  begun,  but,  ten  years  later, 
as  appears  by  the  vote  of  May  17,  1703,  the  town 
agreed  to  settle  the  matter  by  paying  the  demand, 
though  it  was  obliged  to  borrow  the  money  for  that 
purpose,— an  indication  of  its  extreme  poverty.  Dur- 
ing some  of  these  ten  years  Deacon  Lawrence  was  a 
resident  of  that  quarter  of  Cambridge  which  is  now 


122  GROTOX. 

Lexington ;  and  his  absence  from  Groton  may  have 
been,  in  part,  the  cause  of  the  long  delay  in  settling 
the  dispute.  Neither  Deacon  Lawrence  nor  Mr.  Page 
was  chosen  to  the  Assembly  that  convened  on  May 
81,  1693. 

John  Paris  was  a  member  of  the  Council  for  Safety 
of  the  People,  which  met  on  May  9,  1689,  just  after 
Governor  Andros  was  deposed.  It  is  probable  that 
the  town  was  unrepresented  during  the  following 
years :  1693  (first  session),  1694-1698,  1700-1704,  and 
1707,  as  the  Provincial  records  of  those  dates  do  not 
mention  any  member  from  Groton. 

In  the  following  list  of  representatives  I  have  given 
the  church,  civil  and  military  titles  found  in  the  rec- 
ords, inasmuch  as  they  indicate,  approximately,  the 
period  when  they  were  acquired.  For  nearly  a  cen- 
tury and  a  half  the  term  of  service  of  each  member 
was  during  the  year  of  his  election.  The  name  of 
John  Sheple,  as  spelled  in  the  town  records,  is  writ- 
ten John  Shepley  in  the  Provincial  records,  but  the 
two  names  refer  to  the  same  man,  and  the  Nathaniel 
Sawtell  of  the  town  records  is  identical  with  the  Na- 
thaniel Sartle  of  the  Provincial  records. 

HOUSE    OF    REPRESENTATIVES. 

Date  of  Election. 
[November  7,  1683,  Captain  James  Parker.]  • 

[May  9,  1689,  John  Paris.] 

Under  the  Charter  of  William  and  Mary. 
[June  8,  1692,  Nathaniel  Lawrence.] 
[June  8,  1692,  John  Page.] 

[May  31,  1693  (first  session),  probably  none  chosen.] 
October  30,  1693  (second  session),  Captain  James  Parker. 
[May  30, 1694,  probably  none  chosen.] 


GROTON.  123 


[May  29,  1695,  probably  none  chosen.] 

[May  27,  1696,  probably  none  chosen.] 

[May  26,  1697,  probably  none  chosen.J 

[May  25,  1698,  probably  none  chosen.] 

May  9,  1G99,  Jonas  Prescott. 

[May  29,  1700,  probably  none  chosen.] 

[May  28,  1701,  probably  none  chosen.] 

[May  27,  1702,  probably  none  chosen.] 

[May  26, 1703,  probably  none  chosen.] 

[May  31, 1704,  probably  none  chosen.] 

May  8,  1705,  Jonas  Prescott. 

May  8,  1706,  Simon  Stone. 

[May  28,  1707,  probably  none  chosen.J 

[May  26,  1708,  John  Farnsworth.] 

May  25,  1709,  Ensign  John  Farnsworth. 

May  22,  1710,  Ensign  John  Farnsworth. 

[May  30,  1711,  John  Farnsworth.] 

May  7,  1712,  Ensign  John  Farnsworth. 

May  11,  1713,  Ensign  John  Farnsworth. 

[May  26,  1714,  John  Farnsworth.] 

[May  25,  1715,  Thomas  Tarbell.] 

[May  30,  1716,  John  Shepley.] 

May  21,  1717,  John  Sheple. 

[May  28,  1718,  John  Shepley.] 

[May  27,  1719,  John  Shepley.] 

May  6,  1720,  Captain  Jonas  Prescott,  Jr. 

May  22,  1721,  Captain  John  Sheple. 

August  8,  1721,  Captain  John  Sheple. 

[May  30,  1722,  Captain  John  Sheple.] 

May  1,  1723,  Lieutenant  Benjamin  Prescott. 

May  18,  1724,  Lieutenant  Benjamin  Prescott. 

May  14,  1725,  Captain  John  Sheple. 

May  19,  1726,  Captain  John  Sheple. 

May  17,  1727,  Benjamin  Prescott. 

May  10,  1728,  Captain  John  Sheple. 

May  14,  1729,  John  Longley. 

May  18,  17.30,  Deacon  John  Longley. 

May  17,  1731,  Deacon  John  Longley. 

[May  31,  1732,  Nathaniel  Sartle.] 

May  21,  1733,  Nathaniel  Sawteli,  Esq. 

May  8,  1734,  Benjamin  Prescott,  Esq. 

May  19,  1735,  Benjamin  Prescott,  Esq. 


124  GROTOX. 

May  18,  1736,  Benjamin  Prescott,  Esq. 

May  17,  1737,  Colonel  Benjamin  Prescott. 
May  15,  1738,  Benjamin  Prescott,  Esq.  (died  in  ofiQce  on  August  3,  1738). 
December  25,  1738,  Justice  Nathaniel  Sawtell,in  the  place  of  Benjamin 
Prescott,  Esq.,  deceased. 

May  23, 1739,  Justice  Nathaniel  Sawtell. 

[May  28,  1740,  John  Longley.] 

May  25,1741,  Justice  Nathaniel  Sawtell. 

May  12,  1742,  Nathaniel  Sawtell. 

[May  25,  1743,  William  Lawrence.] 

May  14,  1744,  Nathaniel  Sawtell, 

May  17,  1745,  William  Lawrence,  Esq. 

May  18,  1746,  "William  Lawrence,  Esq. 

May  18,  1747,  William  Lawrence,  Esq. 

May  17, 1748,  William  Lawrence,  Esq. 

May  22,  1749,  William  Lawrence,  Esq. 

May  28,  1750  (the  town  voted  not  to  send). 

May  27,  1751,  William  Lawrence,  Esq. 

May  14,  1752,  William  Lawrence,  Esq. 

The  district  of  Shirley  was  set  off  from  Groton  on 
January  5,  1753,  and  the  district  of  Pepperell,  three 
months  later,  on  April  12th,  and  after  these  dates,  un- 
til the  period  of  the  Revolution,  the  two  districts 
were  represented  in  the  General  Court  by  the  parent 
town. 

Late  of  Election. 
May  14,  1753,  William  Lawrence,  Esq. 
[May  29,  1754,  William  Lawrence.] 
May  13,  1755,  Colonel  William  Lawrence. 
May  17,  1766,  William  Lawrence,  Esq. 
May  13,  1757,  William  Lawrence,  Esq. 
May  17,  1758,  William  Lawrence,  Esq. 
May  25,  1759,  Williana  Lawrence,  Esq. 
May  26, 1760,  William  Lawrence,  Esq. 
May  15, 1761,  William  Lawrence,  Esq. 
May  17,  1762,  Captain  Abel  Lawrence. 
May  16,  1763,  Captain  Abel  Lawrence. 
May  21,  1764,  Captain  Abel  Lawrence. 
May  14, 1765,  Captain  Abel  Lawrence. 


GROTON.  125 

May  12,  1766,  Colonel  James  Prescott. 
May  18,  1767,  Colonel  James  Prescott. 
May  10,  1768,  Colonel  James  Prescott. 
May  23,  1769,  Colonel  James  Prescott.  , 
May  21,  1770,  Colonel  James  Prescott. 
May  20,  1771,  Colonel  James  Prescott. 
May  18,  1772,  Colonel  James  Prescott. 
May  17,  1773,  Colonel  James  Prescott. 
May  9,  1774,  Colonel  James  Prescott. 
May  22,  1775,  Honorable  James  Prescott. 

After  this  date  Pepperell  and  Shirley  were  each 
represented  in  the  General  Court  separately,  and  not 
by  the  parent  town.  Owing  to  the  political  disturb- 
ances, a  new  Assembly  was  chosen  by  the  Province 
in  the  summer  of  1775.  The  precept  issued  to  the 
town'  of  Groton,  with  the  answer,  is  found  among  the 
Archives  (CXXXVIII.  214)  at  the  State  House,  as 

follows  : 

"  Colony  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay, 

"  These  are  to  will,  and  require  you  forthwith  to  cause  the  Freeholders, 
&  other  Inhabitants  of  your  town  that  have  an  Estate  of  Freehold  in 
land  within  this  Colony  or  Territory  of  forty  Shillings  ^A  annum  at  the 
least,  or  other  Estate  to  the  value  of  forty  Pounds  sterling,  to  assemble 
at  such  time,  &  Place  as  you  shall  appoint ;  then  &  there  to  elect,  and 
depute  one  or  more  Persons  (being  freeholders,  and  resident  in  the  same 
town)  according  to  a  number  set,  &  limited*  by  an  Act  of  the  General 
Court  or  Assembly,  which  was  conven'd  at  Watertown  on  the  nineteenth 
day  of  July  current  for  the  Service  of  this  Colony,  and  is  still  in  being  ; 
and  to  cause  the  Person  or  Persons  so  elect,  and  deputed  by  the  major 
part  of  the  electors  present  at  such  election  to  be  timely  notified,  &  sum- 
moned by  one  of  the  constables  of  your  town  forthwith  to  attend  the 
Service  of  this  Province  in  the  said  general  Court,  or  Assembly,  &  dur- 
ing the  Session  or  Sessions  of  the  same. Hereof  fail  not,  and  make 

a  Return  of  this  Precept  with  the  name  or  names  of  the  Person,  or  Per- 
sons so  elected,  &  deputed,  with  their  being  summoned  into  the  General 
Assembly,  as  soon  as  may  be  after  such  election,  &  summons  shall  be 
made. 

"Dated  at  Watertown  this  31st— day  of  July  A.D.  1775. 

"  By  order  of  the  House  of  Representatives 

"  Jas  :  Warren  Speaker 


126  GROTON. 

"  To  the  Selectmen  of  the  town  of 

Groton  in  the  County 

of  MiddleKex  Greeting. 

"  Pursuant  to"  the  Precept  within  written  the  Freeholders  and  other 
Inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Groton  qualify'd  as  is  therein  directed,  upon 
due  Warning  given,  assembled  and  met  together  on  the  Twenty  first  day 
of  August  and  then  did  elect,  &  depute  Capt.  Josiah  Sartell— to  servo 
for,  and  represent  them  in  the  Session,  or  Sessions  of  the  great,  and  gen- 
eral Court  or  Assembly  which  was  conven'd  at  Watertown  on  the  nine- 
teenth day  of  July  current  for  the  Service  of  this  Colony  the  said  Per- 
son being  chosen  by  a  major  part  of  the  electors  present. 

"  Dated  in  Groton  aforesaid  the  21  ^t^  day  of  August — A.D.  1775. 

"  OliA'ER  Prescott      \  Selectmen 
Isaac  Faknsworth    V       of 
Amos  Lawrance       )     Groton 
"  The  Person  chosen  as  abovesaid 
notified  thereof  &  summon' d 
to  attend  accordingly 

by  me  Constable  of  Groton 
Oliver  Fletcher 
[Indorsed]  "  Return  from  Groton  Cap«  Josiah  Sartell 
"  Mr  Fowle    Please  to  make  out  a  Precept  for  the  town  of  Hancock  in 
the  County  of  Berkshire— according  to  this  Form — 

[Addressed]  ' '  To  The  Selectmen  of  the  Town  of  Groton." 

Date  of  Election. 
August  21,  1775,  Captain  Josiah  Sartell. 
May  20, 1776,  Colonel  Josiah  Sartell. 
May  26,  1777,  Honorable  James  Prescott.     Deacon  Isaac  Farnsworth, 

declined,  and  Colonel  Josiah  Sartell  chosen  in  his  place. 
May  18,  1778,  Honorable  James  Prescott. 
May  17, 1779,  Honorable  James  Prescott. 
May  15,  1780,  Honorable  James  Prescott. 

The  first  General  Court  of  the  Commonwealth  of 
Massachusetts  met  on  Wednesday,  October  25, 1780, 
and  the  Honorable  James  Prescott  was  the  represen- 
tative from  this  town.  He  was  chosen  to  the  House 
on  September  4th,  and  a  short  time  later,  in  order  to 
fill  a  vacancy  in  the  Senate,  he  was  elected  to  that 


GROTON.  127 

body  by  a  convention  of  both  branches  on  Thursday, 
October  26,  1780 ;  and  subsequently  by  another  simi- 
lar convention  on  Friday,  October  27th,  to  the  Execu- 
tive Council.  At  that  time  the  Councilors  and  Sen- 
ators were  chosen  on  the  same  general  ticket,  without 
any  special  designation  of  either  office,  and  then  the 
Legislature  selected  from  the  upper  body  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Council. 

The  Continental  Journal,  etc.,  (Boston),  November 
2, 1780,  gives  a  list  of  the  members  of  the  General 
Court,  where  Mr.  Prescott  appears  not  only  as  a  rep- 
resentative, but  also  as  a  Senator  and  a  Councilor ; 
and  in  another  column  of  the  same  newspaper  it  is 
announced,  as  a  resolution  of  the  Legislature,  that 
owing  to  Mr.  Prescott's  acceptance  of  the  Senatorship, 
his  office  as  sheriff  of  Middlesex  County  was  render- 
ed vacant,  and  owing,  furthermore,  to  the  lack  of  time 
in  filling  it,  agreeably  to  the  new  Constitution,  the 
session  cf  the  Superior  Court  of  Judicature,  Court  of 
Assize  and  General  Gaol  Delivery  would  stand  ad- 
journed for  one  fortnight.  He  was  also  chosen,  during 
the  years  1781,  '82,  '83,  '84  and  'm,  first  to  the  Senate, 
and  shortly  afterwards  to  the  Council,  where  he  ap- 
pears to  have  served  through  the  respective  terms. 
He  had  previously  represented  the  town  in  the  three 
Provincial  Congresses  of  1774  and  1775,  and  his  ex- 
perience in  legislative  bodies  was  large. 

Two  of  the  representatives  in  the  following  list, 
namely,  the  Hon.  Timothy  Bigelow  and  the  Hon. 
Luther  Lawrence,  have  been  Speakers  of  the  House. 
Mr.  Bigelow  was  first  chosen  to  that  position  on  May 
29,  1805,  and  for  eleven  years,  at  intervals,  he  con- 


128  GROTOX. 

tinned  to  fill  the  office — the  longest  term  of  service  in 
that  capacity  ever  held  by  one  person — though  during 
a  part  of  this  period  he  was  representing  the  town 
of  Medford.  He  was  Speaker  at  the  time  of  the 
separation  of  Maine  from  Massachusetts.  Mr. 
Lawrence,  a  brother-in-law  of  Mr.  Bigelow,  was 
elected  to  the  same  office  on  May  29,  1822,  and 
held  it  during  one  year.  It  is  not  a  little  singu- 
lar that  they  both  were  occupants,  at  .  difterent 
times,  of  the  same  dwelling,  formerly  situated  on 
Main  Street,  but  now  moved  away;  and  both  had 
their  law-offices  in  a  building  near  by,  where,  also, 
Mr.  Dana,  the  president  of  the  Senate,  had  had  his 
law-office.  This  coincidence  is  by  no  means  weak- 
ened by  the  fact  that  Governor  Boutwell,  the  present 
owner  of  the  place,  was  once  the  Democratic  candi- 
date for  the  Speakership,  when  the  Legislature  met 
on  January  6,  1847,  and  he  also  was  a  resident  of  the 
town  at  that  time.  It  may  be  worthy  of  note  that 
another  Speaker,  the  Hon.  Timothy  Fuller,  the  father 
of  Margaret,  who  is  known  as  the  Countess  d'Ossoli, 
was  a  citizen  of  Groton  for  some  years  before  his 
death,  which  took  place  on  October  1,  1835. 

Under  the  Constitution  originally  the  political  year 
began  on  the  last  Wednesday  of  May,  but  the  Sena- 
tors and  Representatives  were  chosen  at  different 
times.  The  members  of  the  House  were  elected, 
annually,  in  the  month  of  May,  ten  days  at  least  be- 
fore the  last  Wednesday  of  that  month,  and  their 
term  of  service  was  during  the  year  of  their  election. 


GROTON.  129 

UNDER  THE   STATE   CONSTITUTION. 

Date  of  Election. 
September  4,  1780,  Hon.  James  Prescott.. 
May  14, 1781,  Deacon  Isaac  Farnsworth. 
May  13,  1782,  Deacon  Isaac  Farnsworth,  declined,    and  Israel   Hobart 

chosen  in  his  place. 
May  12,  1783,  Israel  Hobart. 
May  10,  1784,  Dr.  Benjamin  Morse. 
May  9,  1785,  Ebenezer  Champney. 
May  8,  1786,  Cthe  town  voted  by  one  majority  not  to  send). 

On  March  7,  1787,  the  General  Court  passed  an  or- 
der fining  the  town  of  Groton  twenty-four  pounds  and 
ten  shillings  for  its  neglect  to  send  a  representative 
during  the  preceding  year.  Forty  other  towns  were 
fined  various  sums  at  the  same  time  for  a  similar 
neglect ;  and  among  them  were  Pepperell,  Dunstable, 
Westford,  Littleton,  Harvard  and  Lunenburg. 

Date  of  Election. 
May  7,  1787,  Dr.  Benjamin  Morse. 
May  12,  1788,  Dr.  Benjamin  Morse. 
May  11, 1789,  Dr.  Benjamin  Morse. 
May  4,  1790,  (the  town  voted  not  to  send). 
May  9,  1791,  Major  Aaron  Brown. 
May  7,  1792,  Major  Aaron  Brown. 

May  6,  1793,  Major  Aaron  Brown,  Mr.  Timothy  Bigelow. 
May  12,  1794,  Mr.  Timothy  Bigelow. 
May  6,  1795,  Mr.  Timothy  Bigelow. 
May  2,  1796,  Mr.  Timothy  Bigelow. 
May  1,  1797,  Mr.  Timothy  Bigelow.  ' 

May  14,  1798,  Hon.  Timothy  Bigelow. 
May  C,  1799,  Hon.  Timothy  Bigelow. 
May  5,  1800,  Hon.  Timothy  Bigelow. 
May  4, 1801,  Hon.  Timothy  Bigelow. 
May  3,  1802,  Hon.  Timothy  Bigelow. 
May  2,  1803,  Samuel  Dana. 
May  7,  1804,  Hon.  Timothy  Bigelow, 

May  6,  1805,  Hon.  Timothy  Bigelow,  Speaker,    ^iyi£Aij  ^Mjrvy</- >■ 
May  5,  1806,  Hon.  Timothy  Bigelow,  ST^eaker,    %^aAt  JiA^a^^j . 
May  4,  1807,  Joseph  Moors.  ^        '^ 


130  GROTON. 

May  2,  1808,  Joseph  Moors. 

May  1,  1809,  Joseph  Moors,  Oliver  Prescott. 

May  7,  1810,  Oliver  Prescott,  James  Brazer. 

May  6, 1811,  Major  Joseph  Moors,  Major  Thomas  Gardner. 

May  4,  1812,  Joseph  Moors,  Luther  Lawrence. 

May  3,  1813,  Joseph  Moors,  Luther  Lawrence. 

May  2,  1814,  Joseph  Moors,  Luther  Lawrence. 

May  1, 1815,  Luther  Lawrence. 

May  6,  1816,  Luther  Lawrence. 

May  5,  1817,  Luther  Lawrence. 

May  4,  1818,  Luther  Lawrence. 

May  3,  1819,  Luther  Lawrence. 

May  1,  1820,  Luther  Lawrence. 

May  7,  1821,  Luther  Lawrence. 

May  6,  1822,  Luther  Lawrence,  Speaher. 

May  12, 1823,  (the  town  voted  not  to  send). 

May  23,  1824,  Captain  Noah  Shattuck. 

May  2,  1825,  Hon.  Samuel  Dana. 

May  1,  1826,  Hon.  Samuel  Dana. 

May  7, 1827,  Hon.  Samuel  Dana. 

May  5, 1828,  (the  town  voted  not  to  send). 

May  4,  1829,  Caleb  Butler,  declined,  and  William  Livermore  chosen  in 

his  place. 
May  3,  1830,  Luther  Lawrence,  William  Livermore. 
May  11,  1831,  Captain  John  Boynton. 

(The  town  voted  not  to  choose  a  second  representative.) 

By  the  tenth  Article  of  Amendment  to  the  Consti- 
tution of  Massachusetts,  adopted  by  the  General 
Court  during  two  successive  sessions,  and  ratified  by 
the  people  on  May  11,  1831,  the  beginning  of  the 
political  year  was  changed  from  the  last  "Wednesday 
in  May  to  the  first  Wednesda}^  in  January,  and  the 
day  of  election  changed  to  the  second  Monday  in 
November.  In  this  list  hereafter  the  term  of  service 
is  during  the  year  following  the  date  of  election. 

Date  of  Election. 
November  12,  1832,  Captain  John  Boynton,  Captain  John  Kockwood. 
November  11,  1833,  Captain  John  Boynton,  Captain  John  Rockwood. ,  j 


GROTON.  131 

November  10,  1834,  Captain  John  Boynton,  Timothy  Blood. 
November  9,  18.35,  Captain  John  Boynton,  Timothy  Blood. 
November  14,  1836,  John  Gray  Park,  Dr.  Joshua  Green. 
November  13, 1837,  Dr.  Joshua  Green. 

(The  town  voted  not  to  choof3e  a  second  representative.) 
November  12,  1838,  John  Gray  Park,  Captain  Daniel  Shattuck. 
November  11, 1839,  (the  town  voted  not  to  send.) 
November  9,  1840,  John  Boynton. 
November  8,  1841,  George  Sewall  Boutwell. 
November  14,  1842,  George  Sewall  Boutwell. 
November  13,  1843,  George  Sewall  Boutwell. 
November  11,  1844,  William  Livermore,  Jr. 
November  10,  1845,  William  Livermore,  Jr. 
November  10,  1846,  George  Sewall  Boutwell. 

Mr.  Boutwell  was  chosen  on  the  third  trial  by  five 
majority.  On  the  preceding  day  there  had  been  a 
tie  vote  twice  between  him  and  Edward  Coburn,  the 
Whig  candidate. 

Date  of  Election. 
November  8,  1847,  George  Sewall  Boutwell. 
November  13,  1818,  George  Sewall  Boutwell. 
November  12,  1849,  George  Sewall  Boutwell. 
November  11,  1850,  Phinehas  Gilman  Prescott. 
November  10,  1851,  Phinehas  Gilman  Prescott. 
November  8, 1852,  William  Shattuck. 
November  14,  1853,  William  Shattuck. 
November  13,  1854,  John  Warren  Parker. 
November  12,  1855,  John  Warren  Parker. 

By  the  fifteenth  Article  of  Amendment  to  the  State 
Constitution,  adopted  by  the  General  Court  during 
two  successive  sessions,  and  ratified  by  the  people  on 
May  23,  1855,  the  day  of  election  was  changed  to  the 
Tuesday  next  after  the  first  Monday  in  November. 

Date  of  Election. 
November  4,  1856,  Warren  Fay  Stone. 

Under  Chapter  CCCVIII.,  Acts  of  1857,  a  new 
apportionment  of  Representatives  was  made  through- 


132  GROTOX. 

out  the  State,  and  the  town  of  Groton  became,  there- 
by, in  connection  with  the  towns  of  Pepperell,  Shir- 
ley, Westford  and  Dunstable,  the  Twenty-sixth  Mid- 
dlesex District,  with  two  Eepresentatives. 

Date  of  Election. 
November  3,  1857,  Eliel  Shumway. 
November  3,  1857,  Eobert  Parker  Woods. 
November  7,  1860,  George  Henry  Brown, 
November  4,  1863,  George  Samuel  Gates. 
November  8,  1865,  Benjamin  Franklin  Taft. 

Mr.  Shumway's  election  was  contested  before  the 
General  Court  by  Alien  Cummings,  of  Dunstable, 
and  a  hearing  was  given  by  the  Committee  on  Elec- 
tions; but  the  matter  was  decided  in  favor  of  Mr. 
Shumway.  For  a  full  statement  of  the  case,  see 
"Reports  of  Controverted  Elections  in  the  Senate 
and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  Commonwealth 
of  Massachusetts  from  1853  to  1885  inclusive  "  (page 
41),  by  Edward  P.  Loring  and  Charles  Theodore 
Russell,  Jr.  (Boston,  1886). 

By  another  apportionment,  made  under  Chapter 
cm..  Acts  of  1866,  Groton  and  Pepperell  became 
the  Thirty-first  Middlesex  District,  and  were  entitled 
to  one  Representative.  The  town  of  Ayer,  on  its 
incorporation,  February  14,  1871,  except  that  part 
\vhich  had  previously  belonged  to  Shirley,  was  added 
to  the  district. 

Date  of  Election. 
November  7,  1866,  Danial  Needham. 
November  4,  1868,  William  Livermore. 
November  2,  1869,  Edmund  Dana  Bancroft. 
November  5,  1873,  George  Samuel  Gates. 

By  still  another  apportionment,  under  Chapter 
XV.,  Acts   of  1876,  Groton   became,  in   connection 


GROTON.  l.j:3 

with  Westford,  Dunstable  and  Pepperell,  the  Thirty- 
fourth  Middlesex  District,  and  entitled  to  one  Eepre- 
sentative. 

Date  of  Election. 
November  8,  1876,  Asa  Stillman  Lawrence. 
November  3,  1880,  Asa  Stillman  Lawrence. 
November  7,  1883,  Closes  Poor  Palmer. 
November  12, 1886,  George  Sumner  Graves. 

Colonel  William  Lawrence  was  a  member  of  the 
General  Court  during  seventeen  years, — the  longest 
term  of  service  of  any  Representative  from  the  town  ; 
and-  after  him  came  the  Hon.  James  Prescott,  who 
served  fifteen  years. 

Mr.  Boutwell  is  now  the  senior  surviving  member, 
and,  with  the  exception  of  Phineas  Gilman  Prescott, 
William  Shattuck,  Warren  Fay  Stone,  George  Henry 
Brown  and  George  Sumner  Graves,  all  his  successors 
are  still  alive. 

EEVOLUTIONARY   PERIOD. 

FIRST  PROVINCIAL  CONGRESS  OF  DEPtTTIES. 

Date  of  Election.  Term,  of  Service. 
May  9,  1774 Honorable  James  Prescott 1774 

SECOND   PROVINCIAL  CONGRESS  OF  DEPUTIES. 

December  26,  1774  .  .   .  Honorable  James  Prescott 1775 

THIRD  PROVINCIAL  CONGRESS  OF  DEPUTIES. 

May  22, 1775 Honorable  James  Prescott 1775 

MEMBERS   OF   THE  BOARD   OF   WAR. 

October  30, 1776 Oliver  Prescott,  declined. 

November  16,  1776  .   .   .  James  Prescott 1776-1779 

MEMBER   OF  THE  COUNCIL. 

May  29, 1777 Oliver  Prescott 1777-1779 

According  to  the  records  of  the  General  Court, 
when  the  Board  of  War  was  first  chosen  on  October 


134  GROTON. 

80,  1776,  "Brigf.  Prescot "  was  elected  a  member. 
This  referred  to  Dr.  Oliver  Prescott,  at  that  time  a 
brigadier-general,  but  it  does  not  appear  that  he  ever 
took  his  seat  with  the  board.  On  November  13th  the 
records  state  that  tw^o  of  the  members,  whose  names 
are  given,  had  declined,  and  their  places  were  at  once 
filled ;  and  on  November  16th  five  more  resignations 
were  announced, — though  no  names  are  mentioned, — 
and  the  vacancies  then  filled.  Dr.  Prescott  was  un- 
doubtedly one  of  the  five  who  declined  at  this  time. 
Among  those  chosen  at  the  second  election  was 
"  Colonel  Prescot,"  who  was  James,  a  brother  of 
Oliver.  It  is  a  little  singular  that  their  Christian 
names  are  not  given  in  the  records,  as  both  were  well- 
known  men.  The  "  Journal  of  the  House,"  October 
30,  1776,  prints  the  name  of  "  James  Prescott,  Esq  ;  " 
as  one  of  the  nine  original  members  chosen  at  that 
time,  but  this  is  an  error.  Colonet  Prescott  attended 
his  first  meeting  with  the  Board  of  War  on  Decem- 
ber 18, —  according  to  the  manuscript  minutes  of  the 
Board. 

VARIOUS   OFFICERS. 

GOVERNOR  OF   THE   COMMONWEALTH. 

Late  of  Election.  Term  of  Service^ 

January  11,  1851  .   .    .  Houorable  George  Sewall  Boutwell        1851,  1852 

SECRETARY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  TREASURY. 

^Under  President  Grant.) 
March  11,  1869  ....  Honorable  George  Sewall  Boutwell  .      1869-1873 

SENATOR  IN  CONGRESS. 

March  12, 1873  ....  Honorable  George  Sewall  Boutwell  .      1873-1877 

REPRESENTATIVES  IN  CONGRESS. 

November  5,  1810  .   .   .  Honorable  William  Merchant  Rich- 
ardson          1811-1814 

November  7,  1814  .   .   .  Honorable  Samuel  Dana 1814,1815 

November  4,  1862  .   .   .  Honorable  George  Sewell  Boutwell     1863-1869 


GROTON.  135 


MEMBERS   OF   THE   EXECUTIVE   COUNCIL. 

October  27,  1780  ....  Honorable  James  Prescott  .   .      1780-1784,  1786 
May  28, 1802 Honorable  Timothy  Bigelow 1802 

PRESIDENTIAL   ELECTOR. 

November  6, 1820  .  .   .  Honorable  Samuel  Dana 1820 

(The  Electoral  College  of  Massachusetts  cast  its  vote  on  December  7, 
1820,  unanimously  in  favor  of  James  Monroe  for  President.) 

DELEGATES  TO   CONSTITUTIONAL   CONVENTIONS. 
Convention  for  forming  the  Constitution  of  Massachusetts,  September  1,  1779. 
Date  of  Election.  Term  of  Service. 

August  16,  1779  ....   Honorable  James  Sullivan 1779,  1780 

(Mr.  Sullivan   was  afterward  Governor  of  the  Commonwealth,  and 
died  on  December  10,  1808,  while  holding  the  office.) 

Convention  for  adopting  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  January 

9,  1788. 

December  3,  1787  ....  Dr.  Benjamin  Morse,  Joseph  Sheple,  Esq.  1788 

(Both  these  delegates  opposed  the  adoption.) 

Convention  for  altering  the  Constitution  of  Massachusetts,  November  15, 1820. 

August21,  1820  Ifonorable  Samuel  Dana,    y   _  ^^^^ 

(  Luther  Lawrence,  Esq.       J 

Convention  for  altering  the  Constitution  of  Massachusetts,  May  4,  1853. 

March  7,  1853 John  Gray  Park,  Esq 1853 

(Mr.  Boutwell,  of  Groton,  represented  the  town  of  Berlin,  Worces- 
ter County,  in  this  Convention.) 

JUDGES  AND  OTHER  COURT  OFFICERS. 

CHIEF  JUSTICE  or  THE  COURT  OF  COMMON  PLEAS. 

Date  of  Appointment.  Term  of  Service. 

June  3,  1803  .   .   .  Honorable  James  Prescott,  Jr 1803 

(By  an  Act  passed  on  June  21,  1811,  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas 
became  the  Circuit  Court  of  Common  Pleas.) 

CHIEF  JUSTICE  OF  THE  CIRCUIT   COURT  OF  COMMON  PLEAS. 

October  14,  1811  .   .   Honorable  Samuel  Dana 1811-1820 

JUSTICE  OF  COURT  OF   COMMON  PLEAS. 

December  21, 1782  .   .  Honorable  James  Prescott 1782-1800 


136  GROTOX. 

JUDGES  OF  PROBATE. 

July  1, 1779 Honorable  Oliver  Prescott 1779-1804 

(Reappointed  on  March  27, 1781.) 
February  1,  1805  .   .    .  Honorable  James  Prescott,  Jr 1805-1821 

SHERIFF. 

September  6,  1775  .   .   Honorable  James  Prescott 1775-1780 

CLERK  OF  THE  COrRT  OF  COMMON   PLEAS. 

May  28, 1783    ....  William  Swan,  Esq 1783-1789 

"  The  Massachusetts  Register  and  United  States 
Calendar  for  the  year  of  our  Lord  1806"  (page  75) 
gives  Ephraim  AVood,  of  Groton,  as  one  of  the  jus- 
tices of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  in  Middlesex 
County,  but  the  place  of  residence  is  without  doubt  a 
mistake.  I  cannot  find  that  Judge  Wood  ever  lived 
at  Groton. 

A  LIST  OF  THE  RESIDENTS 

Of  Groton  who  held   Commissions  from  the  Governor 
and  Council,  during  the  Proviyieial  Period. 

Date  of  Appointment . 

August  27,  1713,  Captain  Jonas  Prescott,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

December  9, 1715,  Captain  Jonas  Prescott,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

December  26,  1727,  Benjamin  Prescott,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

October  10,  1729,  Benjamin  Prescott,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

March  19, 1729-30,  Captain  Nathaniel  Sartle,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

July  9,  1731,  Benjamin  Prescott,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

July  9,  1731,  Nathaniel  Sartle,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

June  27,  1735,  Benjamin  Prescott,  in  place  of  Paul  Dudley,  a  Special 
Justice  of  the  Superior  Coiart  of  Judicature. 

January  2,  1735-36,  Benjamin  Prescott,  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  of  the 
Quorum. 

November  10,  1737,Benjamin  Prescott,  in  place  of  Paul  Dudley,  a  Spec- 
ial Justice  in  divers  cases. 

December  29,  1739,  William  Lawrence,  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  of  the 
Quorum. 

August  12,  1749,  William  Lawrence,  Special  Justice  of  the  Inferior 
Court  of  Common  Pleas. 


GROTON.  137 

June  21,  1751,  William  Lawrence,  SpecialJustice  of  the  Inferior  Court 
of  Common  Pleas. 

January  2,  1753,  James  Prescott,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

June  26, 1755,  William  Lawrence,  Justice  of  the  Inferior  Court  of  Com- 
mon Pleas,  in  place  of  Francis  Fulham,  resigned. 

November  20,  1761,  William  Lawrence,  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  of  the 
Quorum. 

November  20,  17G1,  James  Prescott,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

June  8,  176i,  Abel  La%yrence,  Jiistice  of  the  Peace. 

Coroners. — The  first  three  names  mentioned  below 
are  taken  from  the  Couneil  records ;  but  the  others 
are  found  in  the  "Record  of  Civil  Commissions,"  in 
the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State.  Under  the  Con- 
stitution coroners  were  appointed  for  life,  unless 
sooner  removed  ;  but  by  an  act  passed  on  April  29, 
1862,  their  tenure  of  office  was  limited  to  seven  years, 
subject  to  reappointment.  By  another  act  passed  on 
May  9,  1877,  the  office  was  abolished,  and,  so  far  as 
related  to  inquests,  the  medical  examiner  was  substi- 
tuted in  place  of  the  coroner. 

Date  of  Appointment. 

March  8, 1759,  Israel  Hubbard  [Hobart]. 

November  20,  1761,  Israel  Hobart. 

(These  two  persons  were  the  same.) 
July  12,  1769,  Isaac  Farnsworth, 
August  28,  1775,  Isaac  Farnsworth. 
September  24,  1778,  Ephraim  Russell, 
March  27,  1781,  Ephraim  Russell. 
March  2,  1790,  Samuel  Lawrence. 
March  2,  1790,  Peter  Edes. 
January  7,  1801,  Samson  Woods. 
February  3,  1803,  William  Farwell  Brazer. 
July  4,  1803,  James  Lewis,  Jr. 
July  5,  1809,  William  Lawrence. 
February  20, 1810,  Abel  Farnsworth. 
August  20, 1811,  Jacob  Lakin  Parker. 
March  2,  1813,  Amos  Lawrence. 
May  26,  1817,  Benjamin  Moors. 


138  GROTON. 

February  9,  1820,  William  Austin  Bancroft, 

(Mr.  Bancroft  was  a  resident  of  Townsend  at  the  time  of  his 
appointment.) 
January  16,  1822,  David  Childs. 
June  29,  1852,  Jacob  Pollard. 
May  15,  1856,  John  Mason  Porter. 
April  2,  1858,  Eusebius  Silsby  Clarke. 
April  10, 1860,  Asa  Stillman  Lawrence. 
January  24,  1866,  John  Quincy  Adams  McCoUester. 
April  16, 1867,  Asa  Stillman  Lawrence. 
April  30,  1869,  Benjamin  Lincoln  Howe. 
April  30,  1874,  Asa  Stillman  Lawrence. 

^'ATIYES   OF   GROTOX 

And  Residents  of  the  Town,  who  have  Afterward  Filled 
Important  Positions  Elsewhere. 

Honorable  John  Prescott  Bigelow,  born  at  Groton 
on  August  25, 1797,  Harvard  College,  1815  ;  Secretary 
of  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts,  1886-43 ; 
Member  of  the  Executive  Council,  1845-49  ;  Mayor 
of  Boston,  1849-51.  Died  in  Boston  on  July  4, 
1874. 

Honorable  Henry  Adams  Bullard,  born  at  Groton 
on  September  9, 1788,  Harvard  College,  1807  ;  Justice 
of  the  Sixth  District  Court  of  Louisiana,  1822-31 ; 
Representative  in  Congress  from  Alexandria  and  New 
Orleans,  Louisiana  (Twenty-first,  Twenty-second  and 
Thirty-first  Congresses),  1831-34,  '50,  '51;  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  Louisiana,  1834—46,  with  the 
exception  of  a  few^  months  in  1839,  when  he  acted  as 
Secretary  of  State.  Died  in  New  Orleans  on  April 
17, 1851. 

Mr.  BuUard's  father  was  the  settled  minister  at 
Pepperell,  but  all  the  printed  accounts  of  his  life  say 


GROTON.  139 

that  he  was  born  at  Groton,  which  is  my  authority  for 
the  statement. 

Honorable  Willard  Hall,  born  at  Westford  on  De- 
cember 24,  1780,  Harvard  College,  1799 ;  studied  law 
with  the  Honorable  Samuel  Dana  at  Groton  ;  Secre- 
tary of  the  State  of  Delaware,  1811-14,  '21 ;  Repre- 
sentative in  Congress  from  Wilmington,  Delaware 
(Fifteenth  and  Sixteenth  Congresses),  1817-21 ;  Judge 
of  the  United  States  District  Court  in  Delaware, 
1823-71.     Died  in  Wilmington  on  May  10, 1875. 

Honorable  John  Harris,  born  at  Harvard  on  Octo- 
ber 13,  1769,  Harvard  College,  1791 ;  studied  law  with 
the  Honorable  Timothy  Bigelow  at  Groton ;  Justice 
of  the  Superior  Court  of  Judicature  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, 1823-33.  Died  at  Hopkinton,  New  Hampshire, 
on  April  23,  1845. 

Honorable  Amos  Kendall,  born  at  Dunstable  on 
August  16,  1789,  Dartmouth  College,  1811 ;  studied 
law  with  the  Honorable  William  Merchant  Richard- 
son at  Groton  ;  Postmaster-General  under  Presidents 
Jackson  and  Van  Buren,  1835-40.  Died  in  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  on  June  12,  1869. 

Honorable  Abbott  Lawrence,  born  at  Groton  on 
December  16,  1792 ;  Representative  in  Congress  from 
Boston  (Twenty-fourth  and  Twenty-sixth  Congresses), 
1835-37,  '39,  '40 ;  Presidential  Elector,  1844 ;  Envoy 
Extraordinary  and  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  Great 
Britain,  1849-52.  Died  in  Boston  on  August  18, 
1855. 

Honorable  John  Locke,  born  at  Hopkinton,  Massa- 
chusetts, on  February  14,  1764,  Harvard  College, 
1792 ;    studied    law   with    the    Honorable    Timothy 


1 40  GROTOX. 

Bigelow  at  Groton  ;  Representative  in  Congress  from 
Asliby,  Massachusetts  (Eighteenth,  Nineteenth  and 
Twentieth  Congresses),  1823-29;  Member  of  the 
Executive  Council,  1831.  Died  in  Boston  on  March 
29,  1855. 

Honorable  Thomas  Rice,  born  at  Pownalborough 
(now  Wiscasset),  Maine,  on  March  30,  1768,  Harvard 
College,  1791 ;  studied  law  with  the  Honorable 
Timothy  Bigelow  at  Groton  ;  Representative  in  Con- 
gress from  Augusta,  District  of  Maine,  Massachusetts 
(Fourteenth  and  Fifteenth  Congresses),  1815-19. 
Died  at  Winslow,  Maine,  on  August  24,  1854. 

Honorable  William  Merchant  Richardson,  born  at 
Pelham,  Xew  Hampshire,  on  January  4,  1774,  Har- 
vard College,  1797  ;  Preceptor  of  Groton  Academy, 
1799-1802;  studied  law  with  the  Honorable  Samuel 
Dana  at  Groton;  Postmaster,  1804-12;  Representa- 
tive in  Congress  from  Groton  (Twelfth  and  Thirteenth 
Congresses),  1811-14;  removed  to  Portsmouth,  New 
Hampshire,  and  afterward  became  Chief  Justice  of 
the  Superior  Court  of  Judicature  of  that  State,  1816- 
38.  Died  at  Chester,  New  Hampshire,  on  March  23, 
1838. 

Honorable  Ether  Shepley,  born  at  Groton  on  No- 
vember 2,  1789,  Dartmouth  College,  1811 ;  Senator  in 
Congress  from  Maine,  1833-36  ;  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Judicial  Court  of  Maine,  1836-48  ;  Chief  Justice  of 
the  same  Court,  1848-55.  Died  in  Portland  on  Janu- 
ary 15,  1877. 

Honorable  Samuel  Emerson  Smith,  born  at  Hollis, 
New  Hampshire,  on  March  12,  1788,  Harvard  Col- 
lege, 1808  ;  studied  law  with   the  Honorable  Samuel 


GROTON.  141 

Dana  at  Groton  ;  Justice  of  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas  of  Maine,  1822-1830;  Governor  of  Maine, 
1831-1833;  Justice  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas 
again,  1835-1837.  Died  at  Wiscasset,  Maine,  on 
March  3,  1860. 

Honorable  Asahel  Stearns,  born  at  Lunenburg, 
June  17,  1774,  Harvard  College,  1797;  Preceptor  of 
Groton  Academy  during  a  short  period  iuimediately 
after  his  graduation  ;  studied  law  with  the  Honorable 
Timothy  Bigelow  at  Groton  ;  representative  in  Con- 
gress from  Chelmsford,  Massachusetts  (Fourteenth 
Congress),  1815-1817;  University  Professor  of  Law  at 
the  Harvard  Law  School,  1817-1829.  Died  in  Cam- 
bridge on  February  5,  1839. 

Honorable  James  Sullivan,  born  at  Berwick,  Maine, 
OQ  April  22,  1744;  Member  of  the  three  Provin- 
cial Congresses,  from  Biddeford,  1774,  1775;  resident 
of  Groton,  1778-1782;  delegate  to  the  Continental 
Congress,  1782;  Member  of  the  Executive  Council, 
1787;  Judge  of  Probate,  Suffolk  County,  1788-1790; 
Attorney-General,  1790-1807  ;  First  President  of  tne 
Massachusetts  Historical  Society,  1791-1806;  Gov- 
ernor of  the  Commonwealth,  1807,  1808.  Died  in 
Boston  on  December  10,  1808,  while  in  office. 

Honorable  John  Varnum,  born  at  Dracut  on  June 
25, 1778,  Harvard  College,  1798 ;  studied  law  with 
the  Honorable  Timothy  Bigelow  at  Groton ;  Repre- 
sentative in  Congress  from  Haverhill,  Massachusetts 
(Nineteenth,  Twentieth  and  Twenty-first  Congresses), 
1825-1831.  Died  at  Niles,  Michigan,  on  July  23 ' 
1836. 

In  the   spring  of  1765  the  odious  Stamp  Act  was 


142  GROTON. 

passed,  which  did  much  to  hasten  public  opinion  to- 
ward the  American  Revolution.  This  town  sympa- 
thized warmly  with  the  feeling,  and  prepared  to  do 
her  part  in  the  struggle.  A  large  number  of  her  in- 
habitants had  received  their  schooling  in  the  French 
War,  as  their  fathers  before  them  had  received  theirs 
during  the  Indian  troubles.  Such  persons  did  not 
now  enter  upon  camp  life  as  raw  troops,  but  as  ex- 
perienced and  disciplined  soldiers.  The  town  had 
men  willing  to  serve  and  able  to  command.  The 
leaders  of  the  Revolution  displayed  great  foresight  in 
the  careful  attention  paid  to  the  details  of  their  work  ; 
and  the  final  success  of  the  struggle  was  due  as  much 
to  their  sagacity  as  to  the  deep  feeling  of  the  people. 
On  the  side  of  the  patriots  the  skirmishes  of  April  19, 
1775,  were  fought  by  companies  made  up  of  minute- 
men,  organized  on  a  recommendation  of  the  First 
Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts,  in  a  resolve 
passed  at  Cambridge  on  October  26,  1774.  It  was  at 
that  time  recommended  to  the  field  officers  of  the 
various  militia  regiments  that  they  should  enlist  at 
least  one-quarter  of  their  respective  commands,  and 
form  them  into  companies  to  be  held  in  readiness,  at 
the  shortest  notice  by  the  Committee  of  Safety,  to 
march  to  the  place  of  rendezvous.  Such  soldiers 
soon  became  known  as  minute-men,  and  proved  to  be 
of  very  great  help  and  strength  to  the  popular  cause. 
Two  companies  were  enlisted  at  Grotpn ;  and  at  the 
desire  of  the  officers,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Webster,  of 
Temple,  New  Hampshire,  on  February  21,  1775, 
preached  a  sermon  before  them,  which  was  afterward 
printed.     It  was  there  stated  that  a  large  majority  of 


GROTON.  143 

the  town  had  engaged  to  hold  themselves  in  readi- 
ness, agreeably  to  the  plan  of  the  Provincial  Congress, 
to  act  in  the  service  of  their  country.  The  sermon  is 
singularly  meagre  in  those  particulars  which  would 
interest  us  at  the  present  time,  and  is  made  up  largely 
of  theological  opinions,  perhaps  as  valuable  now  as 
then,  but  not  so  highly  prized. 

On  the  memorable  19th  of  April  two  compa- 
nies of  minute-men,  under  the  respective  commands 
of  Captain  Henry  Farwell  and  Captain  Asa  Law- 
rence, marched  from  Groton  to  Concord  and  Cam- 
bridge ;  and  on  the  same  day  for  the  same  destination 
two  other  companies  of  militia,  under  the  respective 
commands  of  Captain  Josiah  Sartelland  Captain  John 
Sawtell .  According  to  the  company  rolls  at  the  State- 
House,  there  were  in  FarwelFs  company,  at  the  time 
of  marching,  three  commissioned  officers  and  fifty-two 
men,  and  in  Lawrence's  three  officers  and  forty-three 
men;  and  in  the  two  militia  companies  (Sartell's) 
three  officers  and  forty-five  men,  and  (Sawtell's)  one 
officer  and  twenty-five  men,  respectively,  though  in 
Sawtell's  company  some  of  the  men  were  from  Pep- 
perell. 

In  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  on  June  17,  1775,  one 
commissioned  officer  and  eleven  soldiers,  residents  of 
Groton,  were  either  killed  in  the  fight  or  mortally 
wounded.  This  roll  of  honor  comprises  the  names  of 
Lieutenant  Amaziah  Fassett,  who  fell  wounded  and 
died  a  prisoner  on  July  5th;  Sergeant  Benjamin 
Prescott,  a  son  of  the  Hon.  James  Prescott,  and  a 
nephew  of  Colonel  William  Prescott,  who  commanded 
the  American  forces,  and  privates  Abraham  Blood, 


144  GROTOX. 

Chambers  Corey,  James  Dodge,  Peter  Fisk,  Stephen 
Foster,  Simon  Hobart,  Jonathan  Jenkins,  David 
Kemp,  Robert  Parker  and  Benjamin  Woods.  This 
was  the  largest  loss  experienced  by  any  town  in  the 
battle,  and  it  shows  ihe  patriotic  character  of  the  citi- 
zens at  that  period.  Colonel  Prescott,  the  commander 
on  the  American  side,  and  three  of  the  Pepperell 
soldiers  who  lost  their  lives  in  the  fight,  were  natives 
of  Groton. 

During  the  War  for  the  Union  the  record  of  the 
town  is  equally  honorable.  According  to  General 
William  Schouler's  "  History  of  Massachusetts  in  the 
Civil  War"  (ii.  409),  she  furnished  four  hundred  men 
for  the  public  service,  which  was  a  surplus  of  forty- 
nine  over  and  above  all  demands;  of  whom  twenty- 
four  were  commissioned  officers.  Forty  of  these  sol- 
diers were  either  killed  in  battle  or  died  of  their 
wounds,  or  of  sickness  contracted  in  the  army.  A 
marble  tablet  with  their  names  cut  inthe  stone  has 
been  placed  in  the  hall  of  the  Town-House  in  grate- 
ful recognition  of  their  services  and  dedicated  to  their 
memory.  The  whole  amount  of  money  raised  and 
appropriated  by  the  town  for  war  purposes,  exclusive 
of  State  aid,  was  thirty-one  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  twenty-four  dollars  and  forty-seven  cents  ($31,- 
724.47). 

Camp  Stevens  at  Grotox.— During  the  War  of 
the  Rebellion,  in  the  autumn  of  1862,  the  Common- 
wealth of  Massachusetts  established  a  military  camp 
at  Groton,  on  the  triangular  piece  of  land  situated  in 
the  southwesterly  part  of  the  town,  and  bounded  by 
the  Peterborough  and  Shirley  Railroad,  the  Nashua 


GROTON.  145 

River  and  the  road  to  Shirley  Village.  .  It  contained 
eighteen  or  twenty  acres,  more  or  less,  and  at  that 
time  belonged  to  Joseph  Cutts ;  the  entrance  was  near 
the  angle  made  by  the  railroad  and  the  highway. 
The  Fifty-third  Regiment  of  Infantry,  Massachusetts 
Volunteer  Militia,  while  its  ranks  were  recruiting, 
was  encamped  on  this  ground.  The  regiment  w^as 
raised  from  Groton  and  Clinton,  Leominster,  Fitch- 
burg  and  other  towns  in  the  neighborhood  belonging 
to  Worcester  County,  and  was  mustered  into  the 
public  service  for  nine  months. 

Special  Order,  No.  916,  issued  by  the  Adjutant- 
General  of  the  Commonwealth,  September  19,  1862, 
contains  the  following: 

"A  camp  of  rendezvous  is  established  at  Groton  Junction,  Middlesex 
Co.,  where  barracks  are  being  built,  which  is  designated  Camp  Stevens. 
Capt.  W.  C.  Sawyer,  23d  Regt.  Mass.  Vols.,  is  appointed  Commandant. 
Due  notice  will  be  given  when  the  barracks  are  ready  for  use." 

Special  Order,  No.  955,  under  the  date  of  Septem- 
ber 23d,  has  the  following  : 

"Lindsey  Tilden  [Charles  Li nzee  Tilden],  20th  Regt.  Mass.  Vols,  is 
detailed  for  Post  Adjutant  at  Camp  Stevens,  Groton." 

The  camp  was  so  named  in  memory  of  General 
Isaac  Ingalls  Stevens,  a  native  of  Andover  and  a 
graduate  of  West  Point,  who  was  killed  in  the  battle  of 
Chantilly,  Virginia,  on  September  6, 1862,  only  a  fort- 
night before  the  camp  was  established. 

The  commandant  was  Wesley  Caleb  Sawyer,  born 
in  the  adjoining  town  of  Harvard,  on  August  26, 
1839,  who  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  the  class 
of  1861.  Soon  after  leaving  Cambridge  he  was  com- 
missioned, on  October  8,  1861,  as  a  captain  in  the 
10 


146  GROTON. 

Twenty-thir(i  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  and  be  left 
the  State  with  that  regiment.  He  was  attached  to 
Burnside  expedition,  that  went  to  North  Carolina;  in 
the  battle  of  Newbern,  March  14,  1862,  he  was  se- 
verely wounded,  which  resulted  in  the  amputation  of 
his  left  thigh,  and  necessarily  prevented  him  from 
further  participation  in  an  active  campaign. 

The  regiment  left  Camp  Stevens  on  Saturday,  No- 
vember 29th,  for  New  York,  where  it  remained  until 
January  17, 1863,  at  which  time  it  embarked  for  New 
Orleans.  Subsequently  to  the  departure  of  the  troops 
from  Groton,  the  following  order  was  issued : 

"  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts, 

"  Head  Quarters,  Boston,  Dec.  20, 1862. 
"Special  Order,  No.  1311. 

"The  troops  which  were  enlisted  and  mustered  into  service  at  Camp 
Stevens,  Groton  Junction,  having  left  the  Commonwealth  for  the  seat  of 
war,  Capt.  Wesley  C.  Sawyer,  Commandant  of  the  Camp,  is  relieved 
from  further  service,  and  I  am  directed  hy  His  Excellency,  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief, to  thank  Capt.  Sawyer  for  the  acceptable  manner  in 
which  he  has  performed  the  duties  of  his  post. 

"  By  order  of  the  Commander-in-Chief, 

*'  William  Schouler, 

"Adjt.  General" 

Since  the  war  Captain  Sawyer  has  studied  at 
Gottingen,  Germany,  where  he  received  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Philosophy.  He  has  held  the  professorship 
of  Philosophy  and  Rhetoric  at  Lawrence  University, 
Appleton,  Wisconsin,  but  is  now  connected,  as  a 
professor,  with  the  Normal  School  at  Oshkosh,  Wis- 
consin. 

The  barracks  and  other  structures  used  by  the 
soldiers  at  Camp  Stevens  have  long  since  disappeared, 
and  not  a  trace  of  the  former  occupation  is  to  be  seen. 


GKOTON.  147 

Years  ago  some  of  the  buildings  were  taken  down,  and 
the  rest  were  removed,  mostly  to  Ayer.  George  James 
Burns,  Esq.,  a  lawyer  of  that  town,  wrote  an  interest- 
ing article  for  The  Groton  Landmark,  June  25, 
1887,  which  traces  the  history  of  many  of  these  build- 
ings. 

In  the  autumn  of  1862,  Dr.  Edward  Jarvis,  of  Dor- 
chester, was  appointed  by  Surgeon-General  Dale  to 
visit  the  various  camps  in  the  State,  of  which  there 
were  ten,  and  report  on  their  sanitary  condition.  The 
result  of  his  labors  may  be  found  in  two  communi- 
cations printed  in  The  Boston  Medical  and  Surgical 
Journal  for  December  4  and  11,  1862  (LXVII.  364- 
367  and  381-384,  respectively),  wherein  he  makes 
some  criticism  on  Camp  Stevens. 

According  to  the  "  Record  of  Massachusetts  Volun- 
teers, 1861-65"  (I.  390-392),  the  following  soldiers 
died  in  camp  at  Groton :  Henry  A.  Waters,  of  Shir- 
ley, Co.  D,  on  October  25,  1862;  Spencer  Stockwell, 
of  Athol,  Co.  E,  November  20th ;  and  Daniel  P.  Hem- 
enway,  of  Barre,  Co.  F,  December  1st. 

The  veterans  of  the  war  have  organized  a  post  of 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  which  is  called  the 
E.  S.  Clark  Post,  Xo.  115.  It  is  named  after  Major 
Eusebius  Silsby  Clark,  of  Groton,  a  gallant  officer  of 
the  Twenty-sixth  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  who  was 
mortally  wounded  at  Winchester,  Virginia,  on  Sep- 
tember 19,  1864,  and  died  on  October  17,  1864. 

The  Population  of  Groton  at  Different 
Times. — The  town  of  Groton  was  formerly  a  much 
more  important  place  relatively,  both  in  size  and  in- 
fluence, than  it  is  at  the  present  time.     According  to 


148  GROTON. 

the  census  of  1790,  it  was  then  the  second  town  in 
Middlesex  County,  Cambridge  alone  having  a  larger 
population.  At  that  time  Groton  had  322  families, 
numbering  1840  persons;  and  Cambridge,  355  fami- 
lies, numbering  2115  persons.  Charlestown  had  a  pop- 
ulation of  1583,  and  Newton,  1360.  Reading,  with 
341  families  (nineteen  more  than  Groton),  numbered 
1802  persons  (thirty-eight  less  than  Groton).  Woburn 
then  had  a  poj^ulation  of  1727 ;  Framingham,  1598  ; 
Marlborough,  1554,  and  Waltham,  882.  '  Pepperell 
contained  1132  inhabitants;  Shirley,  677 ;  Westford, 
1229,  and  Littleton,  854. 

There  were  at  that  time  in  Middlesex  County  forty - 
one  towns,  which  number  has  since  been  increased  to 
forty-seven  towns  and  seven  cities  ;  and  in  the  mean- 
while Brighton  and  Charlestown  have  been  merged  in 
the  municipality  of  Boston,  and  thus  have  lost  their 
separate  existence.  Major  Aaron  Brown,  of  Groton, 
and  General  Henry  Woods,  of  Pepperell,  were  the 
marshals  who  took  the  census  of  the  county,  with  the 
exception  of  that  small  portion  lying  on  the  further 
side  of  the  Merrimack  River. 

A  comparison  of  the  population  of  the  town  at  dif- 
ferent periods  is  somewhat  interesting  to  those  famil- 
iar with  its  history.  John  Tinker,  in  a  petition  to  the 
General  Court,  dated  October,  1659,  four  years  after 
the  incorporation  of  the  town,  says  that  the  planta- 
tion "Continueth  vnpeopled."  The  report  of  the 
committee, — of  which  Thomas  Danforth  was  chair- 
man,— dated  May  23,  1661,  and  already  quoted,  states 
that  there  were  four  or  five  families  "  planted  "  at 
that    time.     In    March,    1676,  when   the  town    was 


GROTON.  149 

burned  by  the  Indians,  it  was  estimated  by  the  Rev. 
William  Hubbard,  in  his  narrative,  that  there  were 
then  sixty  families  in  the  place.  Another  writer  of 
that  period  puts  the  number  of  dwellings  destroyed 
at  sixty-six,  and  says  that  only  six  houses  were  left 
standing.  From  these  estimates  it  would  appear  that 
the  population  of  the  town  at  the  time  of  its  destruc- 
tion was  between  300  and  350  inhabitants.  From 
March,  1676,  until  the  early  spring  of  1678  the  settle- 
ment was  abandoned  and  entirely  deserted.  In 
March,  1680,  there  were  forty  families  in  the  town,  as 
appears  by  some  statistical  returns  printed  in  "  The 
New  England  Historical  and  Genealogical  Register  " 
(V.  173)  for  April,  1851.  In  March,  1707-8,  there 
were  sixty-seven  polls  ("  Collections  of  the  American 
Statistical  Association,"  p.  146),  which  would  indicate 
a  population  of  about  300  persons.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  year  1755  there  were  fourteen  negro  slaves  in 
town — seven  men  and  seven  women — who  were  six- 
teen years  old  or  upwards. 

On  June  2,  1763,  Governor  Francis  Bernard  sent  a 
message  to  the  General  Court,  expressing  his  wish  that 
a  census  of  the  Province  might  be  taken ;  but  that 
body  paid  no  heed  to  the  suggestion.  On  January  19, 
1764,  he  renewed  the  proposition,  and  apparently 
with  better  success ;  for  the  Legislature,  on  February 
2d,  adopted  an  order  carrying  out  his  wishes.  The 
popular  heart,  however,  was  not  in  the  work,  and  no 
interest  was  taken  in  the  measure.  The  people  were 
suspicious  of  the  rulers  in  England,  and  jealous  of 
all  political  interference ;  and  it  is  but  natural  that 
the  census  proceeded  slowly.     On  March  5,  1765,  an 


150  GROTOX. 

act  was  passed  by  the  General  Court  to  carry  into  ef- 
fect an  order  which  had  previously  been  passed  for 
numbering  the  people  within  the  Province.  This  ac- 
tion shows  that  the  Governor's  pet  scheme  was  not  re- 
ceiving a  warm  support. 

With  these  drawbacks,  and  under  such  conditions, 
the  first  census  of  the  houses,  families  and  number  of 
people  in  the  Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay  ever 
taken  w^as  finished  in  the  year  1765.  Singularly 
enough,  there  are  now  no  returns  of  this  enumeration 
among  the  Provincial  or  State  Archives,  where  they 
were  undoubtedly  placed.  How  or  when  they  disap- 
peared is  a  matter  of  conjecture;  but  probably  they 
were  lost  amid  the  confusion  that  naturally  prevailed 
during  the  Revolutionary  period.  Fortunately  a  copy 
of  this  census  was  found  by  the  late  Judge  Samuel 
Dana,  of  Groton,  among  some  papers  of  a  deceased 
friend,  which  had  then  lately  come  into  his  posses- 
sion ;  and  by  him  seat  to  the  Columbian  Centinel 
newspaper,  where  it  was  printed  for  the  first  time  in 
the  issue  of  August  17,  1822,  more  than  half  a  cen- 
tury after  the  enumeration  was  made.  From  this 
source  is  derived  all  the  information  concerning  the 
figures  of  the  census  of  1765 ;  and  the  printed  copy, 
in  the  absence  of  any  other,  is  an  authority  second  in 
importance  only  to  the  original  manuscript  returns. 
At  that  time  the  town  of  Groton  had  1408  inhabit- 
ants. 

Akin  to  this  subject,  there  is  in  the  Library  of  the 
Massachusetts  Historical  Society  a  memorandum- 
book,  which  contains  some  interesting  facts  con- 
nected directly  or  indirectly  with  the  population  of 


GROTON.  151 

the  Commonwealth  during  the  Revolutionary  period. 
According  to  this  authority  the  population  of  Groton 
in  the  year  1776  was  1639;  the  number  of  ratable 
polls  in  1778  was  362,  and  the  number  in  1781  was 
395. 

In  compliance  with  a  resolution  of  Congress,  an 
act  was  passed  by  the  General  Court  of  Massachu- 
setts on  July  2,  1784,  requiring  the  assessors  of  towns 
to  make  certain  returns,  from  which  it  appears  that 
there  were  at  that  time  418  polls  in  Groton.  This 
was  the  largest  number  returned  by  any  town  in  the 
county,  with  the  single  exception  of  Cambridge, 
which  had  457  polls ;  and  after  Groton  came  Reading 
with  399  polls,  and  Woburn  with  395,  followed  closely 
by  Framingham  with  389. 

At  the  several  decennial  dates  of  the  United  States 
census,  the  population  of  Groton  has  been  as  follows: 
In  the  year  1790,  1,840;  1800,  1,802;  1810,  1,886; 
1820,  1,897;  1830,  1,925;  1840,  2,139;  1850,  2,515; 
1860,  3,193;  1870,  3,584,  and  1880,  1,862.  The  town 
of  Ayer  was  incorporated  on  February  14,  1871,  and 
made  up  almost  entirely  from  the  territory  of  Gro- 
ton, which  accounts  for  the  great  diminution  in  the 
population  between  the  last  two  decennial  periods, 
as  given  above.  The  new  town  started  on  its  corpo- 
rate existence  with  a  population  nearly  equal  to  that 
of  the  parent  town,  and,  with  all  the  vigor  of  youth, 
soon  surpassed  it  in  size. 

The  population  of  Groton,  as  taken  by  the  State 
in  the  quinquennial  years,  has  been  as  follows:  In 
the  year  1855,  2,745;  1865,  3,176;  1875,  1,908,  and 
1885,  1,987.     By  all  the  enumerations.  National  or 


1 52  GROTOX. 

State,  made  during  the  present  century,  it  will  be 
seen  that  there  has  been  a  steady  increase  in  the 
population  of  the  town,  with  the  exception  of  the 
period  between  the  years  1860  and  1865,  when  there 
was  a  slight  decrease  of  seventeen  inhabitants,  and  of 
the  period  between  1875  and  1880,  when  there  was  a 
falling  off  of  forty-six  inhabitants.  The  loss  in  the 
first  instance  was  due,  of  course,  to  the  disturbing 
effects  of  the  Civil  War. 

The  population  of  Ayer  in  the  year  1885  was  2190  ; 
and  if  that  village  had  not  been  separately  incorpor- 
ated, the  population  of  Groton  would  now  be  consid- 
erably more  than  4000  inhabitants.  According  to 
the  last  State  census  there  were  thirty-two  towns  or 
cities  in  Middlesex  County  larger  than  Groton,  and 
twenty-one  towns  smaller. 

The  original  Groton  Plantation,  as  granted  by  the 
General  Court  on  May  25,  1655,  has  furnished  the 
entire  territory  of  Ayer;  the  whole  of  Pepperell,  with 
the  exception  of  a  narrow  strip  lying  along  its  north- 
ern boundary,  which  once  belonged  to  the  West  Par- 
ish of  Dunstable  (Hollis);  the  whole  of  Shirley,  with 
the  exception  of  a  small  portion  formerly  known  as 
"Stow  Leg;"  one- half  of  Dunstable;  and  has  con- 
tributed more  or  less  to  form  five  other  towns,  namely. 
Harvard,  Littleton  and  Westford  (including  a  part 
of  Forge  Village),  in  Massachusetts,  besides  Nashua 
and  Hollis,  in  New  Hampshire.  The  total  popula- 
tion of  this  territory  is  now  more  than  10,000  inhab- 
itants. 

Summary.  —  Population  of  Groton  at  Different 
Times. — Town  incorporated  on  May  25,  1655 ;  in  Oc- 


GROTON.  153 

tober,  1659,  "  vnpeopled ;"  in  May,  1661,  four  or  five 
families;  in  March,  1676,  about  300  inhabitants;  in 
March,  1680,  forty  families;  in  March,  1708,  67  polls; 
in  March,  1765,  1408  inhabitants ;  in  1776,  1639  in- 
habitants; in  1778,  362  polls;  in  1781,  395  polls,  and 
in  1784,  418  polls. 

Year.  Inhabitants.   Tear.  Inhabitants, 

1790 1840  i    1855 2745 

1800 1802  j    I860 3193 

1810 1886  '    1865 3176 

1820 1897       1870 3584 

1830  ....  .....  1925       1875 1908 

1840 2139       1880 1862 

1850 2515       1885 1987 

The  approximate  population  of  the  town,  under 
the  national  census  of  1890,  is  2071,  though  these 
figures  are  subject  to  change  in  the  official  count. 

Slavery  ix  Grotox.— During  a  long  period  be- 
fore the  Revolution,  Groton  had  one  element  in  her 
population  which  does  not  now  exist,  and  which  to-day 
has  disappeared  from  almost  the  whole  civilized  world. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1755  there  were  fourteen 
negro  slaves  in  town,  seven  men  and  seven  women 
who  were  sixteen  years  old  or  upwards.  At  that 
time  Townsend  had  three  slaves,  two  men  and  one 
woman  ;  Shirley  had  one,  a  man  ;  and  Pepperell  made 
no  return  of  having  any.  Westford  had  five,  but  the 
sex  is  not  given.  These  facts  are  gathered  from  a 
census  of  negro  slaves  in  Massachusetts,  ordered  by 
the  Province,  which  is  published  in  the  third  volume, 
second  series,  of  the  Collections  of  the  Massachusetts 
Historical  Society  (pages  95-97). 

William  Banks,  a  negro  or  mulatto,  was  married  at 


154  GROTOX. 

Groton  on  December  21,  1719,  by  Francis  Fullam,  a 
justice  of  peace,  to  Hannali  Wansamug.  William 
appears  to  have  been  a  slave  belonging  to  Eleazer 
Robbins,  of  Groton,  and  Hannah  was  an  Indian,  who 
is  called  in  the  records  "late  of  Lancaster;"  but  un- 
fortunately the  marriage  was  not  a  happy  one.  With 
all  confidence  in  her  husband,  the  wife  bought  his 
freedom,  when  he  proved  false  to  his  plight  and  prom- 
ise, and  deserted  her.  The  story,  told  in  her  own 
words,  is  found  in  the  Journal  of  the  Massachusetts 
House  of  Representatives,  June  13,  1724  (page  39): 

"  A  Petition  of  Hannah  Banks  Indian,  shewing  that  she  bought  of 
Eleazer  Bobbins  of  Groton  his  Servant  Plan's  Time,  and  gave  a  Bond 
of  I.  15  for  Payment  of  the  same,  that  afterwards  she  married  the  said 
Servant  Man,  who  is  since  absconded,  and  the  said  Robbms  hath  put  the 
said  Bond  in  Suit,  and  cast  the  Petitioner  into  Prison  in  Boston,  that  the 
Principal  Debt  with  the  Charges  hath  arisen  to  I.  25  which  Mr.  Edward 
Ruggles  of  RooAiu-y  hath  paid  for  her,  praying  this  Court  would  please 
to  enable  the  said  Edward  Buggies  to  Sell  such  a  part  of  her  Land  in 
Xatick,  as  will  satisfy  him  for  his  advance  of  said  Twenty-Five  Pounds. 

"  Bead  and  committed  to  the  Committee  for  Petitions." 

The  following  advertisement,  not  an  unusual  one 
for  that  period,  appears  in  The  Boston  Evening- 
Post,  July  30,  1739 : 

RAX  away  from  Ms  Master,  Mr.  John  Woods  of  Groton,  on  Thursday 
the  12th  of  this  Instant  July,  a  Negro  3Ian  Servant  named  Caesar, 
about  22  Tears  of  Age,  apretty  short  tvell  sett  Felloic.  He  carried  with  him 
a  Bine  Oxxt  and  Jacket,  a  pair  of  Tow  Breeches,  a  Castor  Hat,  Stockings 
and  Shoes  of  his  own,  and  a  Blue  Cloth  Coat  with  flower'd  Metal  Buttons, 
a  white  flower' d  Jacket,  a  good  Bever  Hat,  a  Gray  Wigg,  and  a  pair  of  new 
Shoes  of  his  Master's,  with  some  other  things.  It  is  suspected  there  is  some 
white  Person  that  may  be  with  him,  or  design  to  make  Use  of  his  Blaster's 
Apparel  above  described. 

Whoever  shall  take  up  the  said  Servant,  and  bring  him  to  his  above-said 
Master  in  Groton,  or  be  a  3Ieans  of  convicting  any  person  or  Confederate 
icith  said  Servant  as  above  suspected,  shall  have  Five  Pounds  Be  ward  for 
each  of  them,  and  all  necessary  Charges  jyaid. 


GROTON.  155 

Another  advertisement  appears  in  The  Boston 
Gazette  and  Country  Journal,  June  13,  1774,  as 
follows : 

Ten  Dollars  Reward. 

RAN  AWAY  from  the  Subscriber,  Joseph  3Ioors,  of  Groton,  in  the 
County  of  Middlesex,  and  Province  of  Massachusetts-Bay,  a 
Molatto  Man  Servant,  named  TITUS,  about  20  Years  of  Age,  of  a  mid- 
ling  Stature,  wears  short  curl'd  Hair,  has  one  of  his  Fore-Teeth  broke 
out,  took  with  him  a  blue  Surdan,  a  Snuff-coloured  Coat,  and  a  Pair  of 
white  wash'd  Leather  Breeches,  a  Pair  of  new  Cow-Hide  Pumps  and  a 
Furr'd   Hat  with  large  Brims,  and  sundry  other  Articles  of  Wearing 

Apparel. Whoever  will  take  up  said  Servant  and  confine  him  in 

any  of  his  Majesty's  Goals,  so  that  the  Owner  may  have  him  again,  shall 
have  TEN  DOLLARS  Reward  and  all  necessary  Charges  paid,  by 

JOSEPH  MOORS. 
ig®=     All  Masters  of  Vessels   and   others,   are  hereby  Cautioned   agaimt 
Harbouring,  Concealing,  or  carrying  off  said  Servant,  as  they  would  thereby 
avoid  the  Penalty  of  the  Law. 

The  following  marriage  is  entered  in  the  church  rec- 
ords under  the  date  December  28,  1742  .•  'Triamus 
(Cap*  Boydens  Negro  man  servant  [)]  to  Margr*.  Mo- 
latto formerly  servant  to  S.  S.  both  of  Groton."  It  is 
also  recorded  that  Margaret,  the  servant  of  Samuel 
Scripture,  Jr.,  was  baptized  on  January  30,  1733-34, 
and  that  she  owned  the  church  covenant  at  the  same 
time.  The  initials  "S.  S."  stand  for  Samuel  Scrip- 
ture. This  negro  couple  was  afterward  blessed  with  a 
family  of  children,  and  they  lived  on  the  west  side  ot 
the  Nashua  River,  a  short  distance  north  of  the 
county  road  to  Townsend.  His  surname  was  Lew  or 
Lue,  and  his  given  name  became  contracted  into  Pri- 
mus ;  and  to  this  day  the  rise  of  ground,  near  the 
place  where  the  Pepperell  road  leaves  the  main  road, 
is  known  as  Primus  Hill,  so  called  after  him.  Mr. 
Butler  thinks   that   perhaps   Margaret's   name    was 


156  GEOTOX. 

Lew.  See  his  History  (page  454).  Their  oldest  child, 
— Zelah,  a  corruption  of  Barzillai, — born  at  Groton 
on  !N^ovember  5,  1743,  was  a  famous  musician,  who 
lived  at  Dracut  and  the  father  of  numerous  children 
who  were  also  musicians.  He  was  a  fifer  in  Captain 
John  Ford's  company  of  the  twenty-seventh  Massa- 
chusetts Regiment,  in  service  at  the  siege  of  Boston, 
and  was  present  at  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 

About  the  year  1740  there  was  a  negro  slave  in  Gro- 
ton by  the  name  of  Boad,  who  used  to  look  after  the 
cattle  sent  up  to  Groton  Gore  in  the  spring  to  be  pas- 
tured during  the  summer.  See  "  The  Boundary  Lines 
of  Old  Groton  "'  (page  37).  The  church  records  con- 
tains the  entry  of  the  baptism  of  Hagar,  a  servant  ot 
William  Green,  on  August  1,  1765. 

Akin  to  the  subject  of  slavery  in  Groton  is  this 
item,  from  The  Groton  Landmark,  Xovember  14, 
1885 :— 

"  Got.  Boutwell  has  in  an  old  scrap-book  the  following  interesting 
Memorandum : 

''August,  1856. 

"Noah  Shattuck,  esq.,  informs  me  that  there  were  eleven  slaves  in 
Groton  when  slavery  was  abolished,  and  he  mentioned  the  following 
names :  Chloe  Williams,  Phillis  Cutler,  Phillls  Sartell,  Ichabod 
Davis,  Fanny  Borden  and  William  Case.  Phineas  Wait  also  owned  one 
slave." 

Noah  Shattuck.  a  son  of  Job  and  Sarah  (HartwelJ) 
Shattuck,  was  born  on  August  30,  1772,  and  died  on 
September  28,  1858. 

The  following  entry  is  found  in  the  town  records, 
and  refers  to  the  last  survivor  of  negro  slavery  within 
the  limits  of  the  town.  The  institution  was  abolished 
by  the  adoption  of  the  State  Constitution  in  the  year 


GROTON.  157 

1780,  the  courts  holding  that  the  Bill  of  Rights  swept 
away  the  remnants  of  involuntary  servitude: 

"Phillis  Walby,  servant  to  Josiah  Sawtell,  Jun.,  deceased,  died  at 
Grotoii,  aged  79,  February  — ,  1821." 

The  following  extract  from  the  town  records  refers 
to  Titus,  who  is  advertised  as  a  runaway  in  The 
Boston- Gazette,  and  Country  Journal,  June  13,  1774, 
as  mentioned  above.  The  advertiser  was  a  sun  of 
Abraham  Moors,  the  owner  of  Zebina,  the  slave- 
mother  : 

"  Titus,  a  molato  boy  born  of  Zebinah,  a  negro  slave  to  M^.  Abraham 
Moors,  March  — ,  1751." 

A  List  of  the  Town  Clerks  (from  the  year  1662 
to  the  present  time,  with  the  dates  of  their  election 
and  terms  of  service.  In  this  list  the  years  are  given 
according  to  the  new  style  of  reckoning,  and  in  spe- 
cifying dates,  small  fractions  of  years  are  overlooked. 
The  town  was  attacked  by  the  Indians  in  the  spring 
of  1676,  and  abandoned  by  the  inhabitants  until 
March,  1678. 

The  earliest  records  of  the  town  were  written  by 
Richard  Sawtell,  and  begin  on  June  23,  1662,  though 
his  election  as  town  clerk  was  not  recorded  until  De- 
cember 24,  1662.  During  the  period  since  that  date 
there  have  been  thirty-four  town  clerks,  of  whom  five, 
namely,  Jonathan  Morse,  William  Longley,  Jr.,  James 
Blanchard,  Jonathan  Sheple  and  Samuel  Rockwood, 
died  while  in  office — Longley  being  killed  by  the 
Indians  on  July  27,  1694.  During  the  early  part  of 
1682  Captain  James  Parker,  Richard  Blood  and  Jonas 
Prescott  made  entries  in  the  records,  though  no  one  of 
them  appears  to  have  been  at  the  time  town  clerk.  Jon- 


158  GROTON. 

athan  Morse  was  the  first  who  signed  the  records  with 
his  name,  though  the  practice  with  him  was  not  con- 
stant. William  Longley,  William  Longley,  Jr.,  and 
John  Longley  were  representatives  of  three  successive 
generations  in  the  same  family,  being  father,  son  and 
grandson.  On  December  9,  1687,  William  Longley, 
Jr.,  was  chosen  clerk,  but  he  acted  as  such  during 
only  a  part  of  the  next  town  meeting  on  May  21, 
1688,  when  he  was  followed  by  Josiah  Parker,  who 
made  the  entry  for  so  much  of  that  meeting  as  oc- 
curred after  his  election.  Mr.  B^gham,  the  present 
occupant,  has  filled  the  position  for  more  than  thirly- 
five  years  continuously — by  far  the  longest  term  of 
service  of  any  town  clerk.  Joseph  Lakin,  with  a  rec- 
ord of  seventeen  years,  comes  next  to  him  in  length  of 
time.  Of  all  the  persons  mentioned  in  the  list,  only 
the  last  three  are  now  living,  namely,  Mr.  Boutwell, 
Mr.  Parker  and  Mr.  Brigham  ;  and  their  combined 
term  of  service  covers  just  forty-four  years.  Since  the 
death  of  Mr.  Park,  which  took  place  on  September 
23,  1875,  these  three  have  been  the  only  survivors. 
Mr.  Butler  died  on  October  7,  1854,  and  Mr.  Boyn- 
ton  on  November  30,  1854 — less  than  eight  weeks 
apart. 

Date  of  Election. 
December  24,  1652,  Kichard  Sawtell,  1662-1664. 
January  27,  1665,  James  Fisk,  1665. 
December  2, 1665,  William  Longley,"  1666,  1667. 
December  11, 1667,  John  Page,  1668. 
November  11,  1668,  Kichard  Blood,  1669. 
November  10, 1669.  John  Morse,  1670-1676. 

(Town  abandoned  during  two  years.) 
1678,  James  Parker,  1C7S,  1679. 
December  23,  1679,  John  Morse,  1680, 1681. 

1682,  Jonathan  Morse  (died  July  31,  1686),  1682-1686. 


GKOTOX.  159 

December  10,  1686,  Josiah  Parker,  1686,  1687. 

December  9,  1687,  William  Longley,  Jr.,  1688  (a  short  time  only). 

May  21,  1688,  Josiah  Parker,  1688-1691. 

December  10,  1691,  Jonas  Prescott,  1692. 

December  12,  1692,   William  Longley,  Jr.  (killed  July  27,  1694),  1693- 

1694. 
March  4,  16?o,  James  Blanchard,  1695. 
March  3,  1696,  Jonas  Prescott,  1696. 

December  10,  1696,  James  Blanchard  (died  Feb.,  1704),  1697-1704. 
March  8,  1704,  Thomas  Tarbell,  1704,  1705. 
March  5,  1706,  Joseph  Lakin,  1706-1722. 
March  5,  1723,  John  Longley,  1723-1726. 
March  7,  1727,  Joseph  Lakin,  1727. 
March  5,  1728,  John  Longley,  1728,  1729. 
March  3,  1730,  Jonathan  Sheple,  1730. 
March  2,  1731,  Thomas  Tarbel",  Jr.,  1731-1733. 
March  5,  1734,  Jonathan  Sheple,  1734-1744. 
March  5.  1745,  Thomas  Tarbell,  Jr.,  1745-1756. 
March  1,  1757,  Abel  Lawrence,  1757-1764. 
March  5,  1765,  Oliver  Prescott,  1765-1777. 
March  3,  1778,  Isaac  Farnsworth,  1778-1781. 
March  5,  1782,  Abel  Bancroft,  1782,  1783. 
IMarch  2,  1784,  Jonathan  Keep,  1784. 
March  1,  1785,  Abel  Bancroft  was  chosen,  but  declined. 
March  1,  1785,  Isaac  Farnsworth,  1785-1787. 
March  4,  1788,  Nathaniel  Sartel  was  chosen,  but  declined. 
March  10, 1788,  Joseph  Shed,  1788-1794. 
March  3,  1795,  Samuel  Lawrence,  1795-1798. 
March  5, 1799,  Samuel  Rockwood  (died  May  29,  1804),  1799-1804. 
June  18,  1804,  Oliver  Prescott,  Jr.,  1804-1810. 
March  5,  1811,  Joseph  3Iansfield,  1811-1814. 
March  7,  1815,  Caleb  Butler,  1815-1817. 
March  3,  1818,  Joseph  3Iansfield,  1818. 
March  2,  1819,  Noah  Shattuck,  18 19-1822. 
March  3,  1823,  Caleb  Butler,  1823-1831. 
March  6,  1832,  John  Boynton,  1832, 1833. 
March  4,  1834,  John  Gray  Park,  18.34-1836. 
March  6,1837,  John  Boynton,  1837-1845. 
March  3,  184G,  George  Sewall  Boutwell,  1846-1850. 
March  4, 1851,  John  Warren  Parker,  1851-1854. 
March  5,  1855,  George  Dexter  Brigham,  1855- 


160 


GKOTON. 


A  List  of  the  Treasurers  (so  far  as  they 
are  found  in  the  town  records,  with  the  dates 
of  their  election  and  terms  of  service). — Alden 
Warren  served  during  twenty-four  years,  which  is  the 
longest  term  of  any  treasurer ;  and  next  to  him,  in 
length  of  service,  was  Benjamin  Bancroft,  who  filled 
the  office  for  seventeen  years.  After  him  came  Cal- 
vin Boynton,  who  served  during  sixteen  years,  and 
then  Capt.  Ephraim  Sawtell,  with  a  term  of  fifteen 
years.  William  Livermore,  who  was  treasurer  in 
1845,  is  the  senior  survivor  ;  and,  with  the  exception 
of  the  brothers  George  and  Walter  Shattuck,  all  his 
successors  are  still  alive. 


Date  of  Election. 
[March  ?],  1697,  Capt.  Jas.  Parker. 
March  1,  1709,   "  Samuill  ^Voods 

trasewer ' ' 
March  7,  1710,  Samuel  Woods. 
March  6,  1711,  Samuel  Woods. 
March  4,  1712,  Jonathan  Boiden. 
March  3,  1713,  Jonathan  Boiden. 
March  2,  1714,  "  Shebuall  hobart  " 
March  1, 1715,  Shebuel  Hobart. 
March  6, 1716,  Jonathan  Boiden. 
March  5, 1*717,  Jonathan  Boiden. 
March  4, 1718,  John  Longley. 
March  3,  1719,  John  Longley. 
March  1,  17^0,  John  Longley. 
March  7, 1721,  John  Longley. 
March  6,  1722,  John  Longley. 
March  5,  1723,  Thomas  Lawrence. 
March  3, 1724,  Thomas  Lawrence. 
March  2, 1725,  Thomas  Lawrence. 
March  1, 1726,  Thos.  Lawrence,  Sr 
March  7,  1727,  Thomas  Lawrence. 
March  5,  1728,  Thomas  Lawrence. 
March  4,  1729,  Samuel  Tarbell. 


Date  of  Election. 
March  3,  1730,  Samuel  Tarbell. 
March  2,  1731,  Samuel  Tarbell. 
March  7,  1732,  "Justis  Prescott." 
March  6, 1733,  Benj.  Prescott,  Esq. 
March  5,  1734  (In  the  list  of  town 
officers  chosen  on  this  day  the 
treasurer's  name   is    omitted 
probably  through  an  oversight 
but  without  doubt  it  was  Ben- 
jamin Prescott). 
March  4,1735,  Benj.  Prescott,  Esq. 
March  2,  1736,  Benj.  Prescott,  Esq. 
March  7, 1737,  Benj.  Prescott,  Esq. 
March  6,  1738,  "Justice Sawtell." 
March  4,  1739,  Nath.  Sawtell,  Esq. 
1740  (no  record  is  found). 
March  3,  1741,  Nath.  Sawtell,  Esq. 
1742  (no  record  is  found). 
March  1, 1743,  "  Deacon  Longley." 
March  6,  1744,  Dea.  John  Longley 
March  5,  1745,  Dea.  John  Longley 
March  3,  1746,  Dea.  John  Longley 
March  3,  1747,  Dea.  John  Longley 


GROTON. 


161 


March  1,  1748, 
Ikfarch  6,  1749, 
March  5,  1750, 
March  5, 1751, 
March  3,  1752, 
March  6,  1753, 
March  5, 1754, 
March  4,  1755, 
March  2,  1756, 
March  1, 1757, 
March  7,  1758, 
March  6, 1759, 
March  4,  1760, 
March  3,  1761, 
March  2,  17b2, 
March  1,  1763, 
March  6,  1764, 
March  5,  1765, 
March  4,  1766, 
March  3,  1767, 
March  1, 1768, 
March  7,  1769, 
March  6,  1770, 
March  5,  1771, 
March  3,  i772, 
March  2,  1773, 
March  1,  1774, 
March  7,  1775, 
March  5, 1776, 
March  4, 1777, 
March  3,  1778, 
March  2, 1779, 
March  7,  178U, 
March  6,  1781, 
March  5,  1782, 
March  4,  1783, 
March  2,  1784, 
March  1,  1785, 
March  7,  1786, 
March  6,  1787, 
March  4,  1788, 

11 


Dea.  John  Longley 
Dea.  Joha  Longley 
Capt.  Eph.  Sawtell 
Capt.  Eph.  Sawtell 
Capt.  Eph.  S  twtell 
Capt.. Eph.  Sawtell 
Capt.  Eph.  Sawtell 
Capt.  Eph.  Sawtell 
Capt.  Eph.  Sawtell 
Capt.  Eph.  Sawtell 
Capt.  Eph.  Sawtell 
Capt.  Eph.  Sawtell 
Capt.  Eph.  Sawtell 
Capt.  Eph.  Sawtell 
Capt.  Eph.  Sawtell 
Capt.  Eph.  Sawtell 
Capt.  Eph.  Sawtell 
Benjamin  Bancroft 
Benjaniin  Bancroft 
Benjamin  Bancroft 
Benjamin  Bancroft 
Benjamin  Bancroft 
Benjamin  Bancroft 
Benjamin  Bancroft 
Benjamin  Bancroft 
Benjamin  Bancroft 
Dea.  Benj.  Bancroft 
Dea.  Benj.  Bancroft 
Dea.  Benj.  Bancroft 
Dea.  Benj.  Bancroft 
Dea.  Benj.  Bancroft 
Dea.  Benj.  Bancroft 
Dea.  Benj.  Bancroft 
Dea.  Benj.  Bancroft 
Lieut.  Jona.  Keep. 
Lieut.  Jona.  Keep. 
Israel  Hobart,  Esq. 
Israel  Hobart,  Escj. 
Isaiah  Edes. 
Isaiah  Edes. 
Isaiah  Edes. 


March  3,  1789,  Isaiah  Edes, 
March  2, 179J,  Isaiah  Edes. 
March  1,  1791,  Isaiah  Edes. 
March  6,  1792,  Isaiah  Edes. 
March  5,  1793,  Isaiah  Edes. 
March  4,  1794,  Isaiah  Edes. 
March  3,  1795,  Isaiah  Edes. 
March  1,  1796,  Joseph  Shed. 
March  7,  1797,  Joseph  Shed. 
March  6,  1798,  Joseph  Shed. 
Maich  5,  1799,  Joseph  Shed. 
March  4,  1800,  Joseph  Shed. 
March  3,  1801,  Joseph  Shed. 
March  2,  18o2,  Joseph  Shed. 
March  1,  1S03,  Joseph  Shed. 
March  0, 1804,  Solomon  Tarbell. 
March  5,  1805,  Solomon  Tarbell. 
March  4,  1806,  Lieut.  Sol.  Tarbell. 
March,  3, 1807,  Lieut.  Sol.  Tarbell. 
March  1,  1808,  Lieut.  Sol.  Tarbell. 
March  7,  1809,  Lieut.  Sol.  Tarbell. 
March  6, 1810,  Lieut.  Sol.  Tarbell. 
March  5,  1811,  Lieut.  Sol.  Tarbell. 
March  3,  1812,  Lieut.  Sol.  Tarbell. 
March  2, 1813,  Lieut.  Sol.  Tarbell. 
April  4,  1814,  Alpheus  Kichardson. 
March  7,  1815,  Alpheus  Richardson 
March  5,  1816,  Calvin  Boyntou. 
March  4,  1817,  Calvin  Boynton. 
March  3,  1818,  Calvin  Boynton. 
March  2,  1819,  Calvin  Boynton. 
March  7, 1820,  Calvin  Boynton. 
March  6,  1821,  Calvin  Boynton. 
March  5,  1822,  Calvin  Boynton. 
March  3,  1823,  Calvin  Boynton. 
March  2,  1824,  Calvin  Boynton. 
March  1, 1825,  Calvin  Boynton. 
March  7,  1826,  Calvin  Boynton. 
March  6, 1827,  Calvin  Boynton. 
March  4,  1828,  Calvin  Boynton. 
March  3,  1829,  Calvin  Boynton. 


162 


GROTON. 


Date  of  Election. 
March  2, 1830,  Calvin  Boynton. 
March  1, 1831,  Calvin  Boynton. 
March  6,  1832,  John  Peabody, 
Marcli  5,  1833,  John  Peabody. 
March  4, 1834,  John  Peabody. 
3Iarch  3,  1835,  John  Peabody. 
March  1,  1836,  John  Peabody. 
March  6,  1837,  John  Peabody. 
March  6,  1838,  John  Peabody, 
March  5,  1839,  John  Peabody. 
March  3,  1840,  John  Peabody. 
March  2,  1841,  John  Peabody. 
3Iarch  1,  1842,  John  Peabody. 
March  7,  1843,  John  Peabody. 
3Iarch  5,  1844,  Daniel  Shattuck. 
March  4, 1845,  Wm.  Livermore,  Jr 
March  3,  1840,  George  Shattuck. 
March  2, 1847,  George  Shattuck. 
March  G,  1848,  George  Shattuck. 
March  6,  1849,  Walter  Shattuck. 
March  5,  1850,  Walter  Shattuck. 
March  4,  1851,  Walter  Shattuck. 
March  2,  1852,  Walter  Shattuck. 
March  1,  1853,  Daniel  Needham, 
March  6,  1854,  Daniel  Needham. 
March  5,  1855,  Aldeu  Warren. 
March  3,  1856,  Alden  Warren. 
March  2, 1857,  Alden  Warren. 
31arch  1,  1858,  Alden  Warren. 
March  7,  1859,  Alden  Warren. 
March  5, 1860,  Alden  Warren. 


Date  of  Election. 
March  4,  1861,  Alden  Warren. 
March  3,  1862,  Alden  Warren. 
March  2, 1863,  Alden  Warren. 
March  7,  1864,  Alden  Warren. 
March  h,  1865,  Alden  Warren. 
March  5,  1866,  Alden  Warren. 
March  4,  1867,  Alden  Warren. 
March  2,  1868,  Alden  Warren, 
March  1,  1869,  Alden  Warren. 
March  7,  1870,  Alden  Warren, 
March  6, 1871,  Alden  Warren. 
March  4,  1872,  Alden  Warren, 
March  3, 1873,  Alden  Warren. 
March  2, 1874,  Alden  Warren, 
March  1,  1875,  Alden  Warren, 
March  6,  1876,  Alden  Warren. 
March  5,  1877,  Alden  Warren. 
March  4,  1878,  Alden  Warren. 
March  3,  1879,  George  S.  Gates. 
March  1,  1880,  George  S.  Gates. 
March  7,  ISSl,  George  S.  Gates. 
April  3,  1882,  George  S.  Gates. 
April  2,  lS83,_George  S.  Gates. 
April  7, 1884,  George  S.  Gates. 
April  6,  1885,  George  S.  Gates. 
April  5,  1886,  George  S.  Gates. 
April  4,  1887,  George  S.  Gates. 
April  2, 1888,  George  S.  Gates. 
April  1,  1889,  George  S.  Gates. 
April  7,  1890,  George  S.  Gates. 


The  Old  Stores  axd  the  Post-Office  of  Gro- 
TOX. — Tradition  has  preserved  little  or  nothing  in  re- 
gard to  the  earliest  trading-stores  of  Grotou.  It  is 
probable,  however,  that  they  were  kept  in  dwell- 
ing-houses by  the  occupants,  who  sold  articles  in 
common  use  for  the  convenience  of  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  at  the  same  time  pursued  their  regular 
vocations. 


GROTON.  163 

r. 


Jonas  Cutler  was  keeping  a  shop  on  the  site  of  M. 
Gerrish's  store  before  the  Revolution,  and  the  follow 
ing  notice,  signed  by  him,  appears  in  The  Massachu 

setts  Gazette  (Boston),  November  28,  1768: 


"  Whereas  on  the  19th  or  20th  Night  of  November  Instant  the  Shop 
of  the  Subscriber  was  broke  open  in  Groton,&M6.  from  thence  was  stollen 
a  large  Sum  of  Cash,  viz.,  four  Half  Johannes,  two  Guineas,  two  Half 
Ditto,  One  Pistole  mill'd,  nine  Crowns,  a  Considerable  Number  of  Dol- 
lars, with  a  considerable  Quantity  of  small  Silver  &  Copper,  together 
with  one  Bever  Hat,  about  fifteen  Yards  of  Holland,  eleven  Bandannas, 
blue  Ground  with  white,  twelve  red  ditto  with  white.  Part  of  a  Piece 
of  Silk  Romails,  1  Pair  black  Worsted  Hose,  1  strip'd  Cap,  8  or  10  black 
barcelona  Handkerchiefs,  Part  of  a  Piece  of  red  silver'd  Ribband,  blue  & 
white  do.  Part  of  three  Pieces  of  black  Sattin  Ribband,  part  of  three 
pieces  of  black  Tafferty  ditto,  two  bundles  of  Razors,  Part  of  2  Dozen 
Penknives,  Part  of  2  Dozen  ditto  with  Seals,  Part  of  1  Dozen  Snuff 
Boxes,  Part  of  3  Dozen  Shoe  Buckels,  Part  of  several  Groce  of  Buttons, 
one  Piece  of  gellow  [yellow  ?]   Ribband,  with  sundry  Articles  not  yet 

known  of Whoever  will  apprehend  the  said  Thief  or  Thieves,  so 

that  he  or  they  may  be  brought  to  Justice,   shall    receive  TEN  DOL- 
LARS Reward  and  all  necessary  Charges  paid.  Jonas  Cutler. 
"  Grotoyi,  Nov.  22, 17G3  [8]. 

"  4®^  If  any  of  the  above  mentioned  Articles  are  offered  to  Sail,  it  is 
desired  they  may  be  stop'd  with  the  Thief,  and  Notice  given  to  said  Cut- 
ler or  to  the  Printers.". 

On  October  21,  1773,  a  noted  burglar  was  hanged 
in  Boston  for  various  robberies  committed  in  different 
parts  of  the  State,  and  covering  a  period  of  some 
years.  The  unfortunate  man  was  present  at  the  de- 
livery of  a  sermon  by  the  Reverend  Samuel  Stillman, 
preached  at  his  own  request,  on  the  Sunday  before 
his  execution  ;  and  to  many  of  the  printed  copies  is 
appended  an  account  of  his  life.  In  it  the  poor 
fellow  states  that  he  is  only  twenty-one  years  old,  and 
that  he  was  born  in  Groton  of  a  respectable  family. 


164  GEOTO>\ 

He  confessed  that  he  broke  into  Mr.  Cutler's  shop, 
and  took  away  "  a  good  piece  of  broad-cloth,  a  quan- 
tity of  silk  mitts  and  several  pieces  of  silk  handker- 
chiefs." He  was  hardly  seventeen  years  of  age  at  the 
time  of  this  burglary.  To  the  present  generation  it 
would  seem  cruel  and  wicked  to  hang  a  misguided 
youth  for  offences  of  this  character. 

Mr.  Cutler  died  on  December  19,  1782;  and  he  was 
succeeded  in  business  by  Major  Thomas  Gardner,  who 
erected  the  building  formerly  known  as  Gerrish'a 
Block,  which  was  moved  away  in  the  summer  of  1885. 
Major  Gardner  lived  in  the  house  now  owned  by  the 
Watters  family. 

Near  the  end  of  the  last  century  a  store,  situated  a 
little  north  of  the  late  Benjamin  Perkins  Dix's  house, 
was  kept  by  James  Brazer,  which  had  an  extensive 
trade  for  twenty  miles  in  different  directioos.  It  was 
here  that  the  late  Amos  Lawrence  served  an  ap- 
prenticeship of  seven  years,  which  ended  on  April 
22,  1807  ;  and  he  often  spoke  of  his  success  in  busi- 
ness as  due,  in  part,  to  the  experience  in  this  store. 
Late  in  life  he  wrote  that  "the  knowledge  of  every- 
day affairs  which  I  acquired  in  my  business  ap- 
prenticeship at  Groton  has  been  a  source  of  pleasure 
and  profit  even  in  my  last  ten  years'  discipline." 

The  quantity  of  New  England  rum  and  other 
liquors  sold  at  that  period  w^ould  astonish  the  tem- 
perance people  of  the  present  day.  Social  drinking 
was  then  a  common  practice,  and  each  forenoon  some 
stimulating  beverage  was  served  up  to  the  customers 
in  order  to  keep  their  trade.  There  were  five  clerks 
employed  in  the  establishment ;  and  many  years  later 


GROTON.         .  165 

Mr.  Lawrence,  in  giving  advice  to  a  young  student  in 
college,  wrote : 

"  In*the  first  place,  take  this  for  your  motto  at  the  commencemeut  of 
your  journey,  that 'the  difference  of  going  just  right,  or  a  little  wrong, 
will  be  the  difference  of  finding  yours'elf  in  good  quarters,  or  in  a  miser- 
able bog  or  slough,  at  the  end  of  it.  Of  the  whole  number  educated  in 
the  Groton  stores  for  some  years  before  and  after  myself,  no  one  else,  to 
my  knowledge  escaped  the  bog  or  slough  ;  and  my  escape  I  trace  to  the 
simple  fact  of  having  put  a  restraint  upon  my  appetite.  We  five  boys 
were  in  the  habit,  every  forenoon,  of  making  a  drink  compounded  of 
rum,  raisins,  sugar,  nutmeg,  «&c.,  with  biscuit, — all  palatable  to  eat  and 
drink.  After  being  in  the  store  four  weeks,  I  found  myself  admonished 
by  my  appetite  of  the  approach  of  the  hour  for  indulgence.  Thinking 
the  habit  might  make  trouble  if  allowed  to  grow  stronger,  without  fur- 
ther apology  to  my  seniors  I  declined  partaking  with  them.  My  first 
resolution  was  to  abstain  for  a  week,  and,  when  the  week  was  out,  for  a 
month,  and  then  for  a  year.  Finally,  I  resolved  to  abstain  for  the  rest 
of  my  apprenticeship,  which  was  for  five  years  longer.  During  that 
whole  period,  I  never  drank  a  spoonful  though  I  mixed  gallons  daily  for 
my  old  master  and  his  customers."  i 

The  following   advertisement  is  found  in  the  Co- 
lumbian Centinel  (Boston),  June  8,  1805  : 

' '  James  Brazer, 
'VouLD  inform  the  public  that  having  dissolved  the  Copartnership  lately 
subsisting  between   AARON  BROWN,  Esq.  SAMUEL  HALE  and  the 
Subscriber  ;    he   has    taken  into  Copartnership  his  son  WILLIAM  F. 
BRAZER,  and  the  business  in  future  will  be  transacted  under  the  firm 

James  Brazer  &  Son  ; 

They  will  offer  for  sale,  at  their  store  in  Groton,  within  six  days  a  com- 
plete assortment  of  English,  India,  and  W.  India  GOODS,  which  they 
will  sell  for  ready  pay,  at  as  low  a  rate  as  any  store  in  the  Country. 

"  James  Brazer. 
"  Groton,  May  29,  1805." 

"  Squire  Brazer,"  as  he  was  generally  called,  was  a 
man   of   wealth   and  position.     He   was  one  of  the 

1  Diary  and  Correspondence  of  Amos  Lawrence,  pages  24,  25. 


166  .         GROTOX. 

founders  of  Groton  Academy,  and  his  subscription  of 
£15  to  the  building  fund  in  the  year  1792  was  as  large 
as  that  given  by  any  other  person.  In  the  early  part 
of  this  century  he  built  the  house  now  belonging  to 
the  academy  and  situated  just  south  of  it,  where  he 
lived  until  his  death,  which  occurred  on  November 
10,  1818.  His  widow,  also,  took  a  deep  interest  in 
the  institution,  and  at  her  decease,  April  14,  1826,  be- 
queathed to  it  .nearly  five  thousand  dollars. 

After  Mr.  Brazer's  death  the  store  was  moved  across 
the  street,  where,  until  the  summer  of  1885,  it  re- 
mained, forming  the  wing  of  Gerrish's  Block.  The 
post-office  was  in  the  north  end  of  it  during  Mr. 
Butler's  term  as  postmaster.  About  this  time  the  son, 
William  Farwell  Brazer,  built  a  store  nearly  opposite 
to  the  Academy,  which  he  kept  duriug  some  years. 
It  was  made  finally  into  a  dwelling-house,  and  occu- 
pied by  the  late  Jeremiah  Kilbourn. 

The  brick  store  opposite  to  the  High  School  was 
built  in  the  year  1835,  by  Henry  Woods,  for  his  own 
place  of  business,  and  afterwards  kept  by  him  and 
George  S.  Boutwell,  the  style  of  the  firm  being  Woods 
&  Boutwell.  Mr.  Woods  died  on  January  12,  1841, 
and  he  was  succeeded  by  his  surviving  partner,  who 
carried  on  the  store  for  a  long  time,  even  while  hold- 
ing the  highest  executive  position  in  the  State.  In 
the  spring  of  1855,  when  he  began  to  practice  law. 
Governor  Boutwell  sold  out  the  business  to  Brigham 
&  Parker.  The  post-ofiice  was  in  this  building  during 
the  years  1839  and  1840  and  until  April,  1841.  For 
the  past  thirty  years  it  has  been  occupied  by  various 
firms,  but  is  now  kept  by  John  H.  Sheedy  &  Com- 
pany. 


GROTON.  •  167 

Duriag  the  last  war  with  England,  Eliphalet 
Wheeler  had  a  store  where  Miss  Betsey  Capell  and 
her  sisters,  Sarah  and  Catherine,  in  more  modern 
times,  kept  a  haberdasher's  shop.  It  is  situated  op- 
posite to  the  Common,  and  is  now  used  as  a  dwell- 
ing-house. They  were  daughters  of  John  Capell, 
who  owned  the  saw-mill  and  grist-mill,  which 
formerly  stood  on  the  present  site  of  the  Tileston  and 
Hollings worth  paper-mills,  on  the  Great  Road,  north- 
west of  the  village.  Afterward  Wheeler  and  his 
brother,  Abner,  took  Major  Thomas  Gardner's  store, 
where  he  was  followed  by  William  F.  Brazer,  Park  & 
Woods,  Park  &  Potter,  Potter  &  Gerrish  and  lastly 
by  Charles  Gerrish,  who  kept  it  for  more  than  thirty 
years.  It  was  given  up  as  a  store  in  July,  1884,  and 
has  since  been  moved  away  and  made  into  a  tene- 
ment-house. 

Near  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  there 
were  three  military  companies  in  town  :  the  Artillery 
Company,  commanded  at  one  time  by  Captain  Jantes 
Lewis ;  the  North  Company,  by  Captain  Jonas  Gil- 
son,  and  the  South  Company,  by  Captain  Abel  Tar- 
bell.  Two  of  these  officers  were  soon  promoted  in 
the  regimental  service ;  Captain  Tarbell  to  a  col- 
onelcy, and  Captain  Lewis  to  a  majorate.  Captain 
Gilson  resigned  and  was  succeeded  by  Captain  Noah 
Shattuck.  They  had  their  spring  and  fall  training- 
days,  when  they  drilled  as  a  battalion  on  the  Com- 
mon,— there  were  no  trees  there  then, — and  marched 
through  the  village.  They  formed  a  very  respectable 
command,  and  sometimes  would  be  drawn  up  before 
Squire  Brazer's  store,  and  at  other  times  before  Major 


168  GKOTON. 

Gardner's,  to  be  treated  with  toddy,  which  was  then 
considered  a  harmless  krink. 

David  Child  had  a  store,  about  the  beginning  of 
the  century,  at  the  south  corner  of  Main  and  Pleas- 
ant Streets,  nearly  opposite  to  the  site  of  the  Orthodox 
meeting-house,  though  Pleasant  Street  was  not  then 
laid  out.  It  was  subsequently  occupied  by  Deacon 
Jonathan  Stow  Adams,  then  by  Artemas  Wood,  and 
lastly  by  Milo  Henry  Shattuck.  This  was  moved  off 
nearly  twenty  years  ago,  and  a  spacious  building  put 
up  a  few  rods  north,  on  the  old  tavern  site  across  the 
way,  by  Mr.  Shattuck,  who  still  carries  on  a  large 
business. 

Alpheus  Richardson  kept  a  book-store,  about  the 
year  1815,  in  his  dwelling,  at  the  south  corner  of  Main 
and  Elm  Streets,  besides  having  a  book-bindery  in 
the  same  building.  Soon  afterward  an  L  was  added 
to  the  house,  and  for  a  short  time  he  carried  on  a 
country  variety  store  in  connection  with  his  other 
business.  The  book-store  and  binder's  shop  were 
continued  until  about  1850.  It  is  said  that  this  house 
was  built  originally  by  Colonel  James  Prescott,  for 
the  use  of  his  son,  Abijah,  as  a  store;  but  it  never 
was  so  occupied  by  him. 

Joseph  and  Phineas  Hemenway,  uncles  of  the  late 
Augustus  Hemenw-ay,  of  Boston,  built  a  store  on  the 
north  corner  of  Main  and  Elm  Streets,  about  the 
year  1815,  where  they  carried  on  a  trading  business. 
They  were  succeeded  by  one  Richardson,  then  by 
David  Childs ;  and  finally  by  John  Hamilton  Spalter, 
who  had  for  many  years  a  book-store  and  binder's 
shop  in  the  building,  which  is  now  used  as  a  dwell- 


GROTON.  169 

ing-house.  At  the  present  time  Mr.  Spalter  is  living 
in  Keene,  New  Hampshire. 

About  the  year  1826,  General  Thomas  Adams 
Staples  built  and  kept  a  store  on  Main  Street,  di- 
rectly north  of  the  Orthodox  meeting-house.  He  was 
followed  successively  by  Benjamin  Franklin  Law- 
rence, Henry  Hill  and  Walter  Shattuck.  At  one 
time  the  style  of  the  firm  was  Shattuck,  Brown  & 
Company.  The  building  was  burned  down  very  early 
on  Tuesday  morning,  November  17,  1874,  and  its 
site  is  now  occupied  by  Dr.  David  Roscoe  Steere's 
house. 

In  November,  1844,  a  large  building  was  moved 
from  Hollis  Street  to  the  corner  of  Main  and  Court 
Streets.  It  was  put  up  originally  as  a  meeting-house 
for  the  Second  Adventists  or  Millerites,  as  they  were 
called  in  this  neighborhood,  after  William  Miller, 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  sect;  and  during  the  fol- 
lowing winter  and  spring  it  was  fitted  up  in  a  com- 
modious manner,  with  shops  in  the  basement  and  a 
spacious  hall  in  the  second  story.  The  building  was 
known  as  Liberty  Hall,  and  formed  a  conspicuous 
htructure  in  the  village.  It  was  first  occupied  by 
tenants  in  July,  1845.  The  post-office  was  kept  there 
while  Mr.  Lothrop  and  Mr.  Andruss  were  the  post- 
masters. It  was  used  as  a  shoe-store,  a  grocery  and  a 
bakery,  when,  on  Sunday,  March  31,  1878,  it  was 
burned  to  the  ground. 

The  brick  store,  owned  by  the  Dix  family,  was 
built  and  kept  by  Aaron  Brown,  near  the  beginning 
of  the  century.  He  was  followed  by  Moses  Carleton, 
and  after  him  came and  Merriam,  and  then 


170  GROTON. 

Benjamin  P.  Dix.  It  is  situated  at  tlie  corner  of 
Main  Street  and  Broad  Meadow  Eoad,  and  is  now 
used  as  a  dwelling-house.  A  very  good  engraving  of 
this  building  is  given  in  The  Groton  Herald,  May  8, 
1830,  which  is  regarded  by  persons  who  remember  it 
at  that  time  as  a  faithful  representation,  though  it 
has  since  undergone  some  changes. 

Near  the  end  of  the  last  century  Major  William 
Swan  traded  in  the  house  now"  occupied  by  Charles 
Woolley,  Jr.,  north  of  the  Common,  near  the  old 
burying-ground.  It  was  Major  Swan  who  set  out  the 
elms  in  front  of  this  house,  w^hich  w^as  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Chaplin's  dwelling  for  many  years. 

At  the  beginning  of  this  century  two  daughters  of 
Isaac  Bowers,  a  son  of  Landlord  Bowers,  had  a  dry- 
goods  shop  in  the  house  owned  and  occupied  by  the 
late  Samuel  William  Eowe,  Esq.  About  the  year 
1825  Walter  Shattuck  opened  a  store  in  the  building 
originally  intended  for  the  Presbyterian  Church,  op- 
posite to  the  present  entrance  of  the  Groton  Ceme- 
tery. Before  the  Revolution  there  was  a  store  kept 
by  Jonathan  Clark  Lewis,  near  the  site  of  Captain 
Asa  Stillman  Lawrence's  house,  north  of  the  Town 
Hall.  Mr.  Lewis  was  an  Englishman  by  birth,  and 
died  on  April  7,  1781.  See  "Groton  Epitaphs"  for 
a  cut  of  the  family  coat^of-arms,  which  appears  on 
his  grave-stone.  There  was  a  trader  in  town,  Thomas 
Sackville  Tufton  by  name,  who  died  in  the  year  1778, 
though  I  do  not  know  the  site  of  his  shop.  Captain 
Samuel  Ward,  a  native  of  Worcester,  and  an  officer 
in  the  French  and  Indian  War,  was  engaged  in  busi- 
ness at  Groton  some  time  before  the  Revolution.     He 


GROTON.  171 

removed  to  Lancaster,  where  at  one  time  he  was  the 
town  clerk,  and  died  there  on  August  14,  1826. 

The  Groton  Post-  Office. — The  Groton  post-oflSce  was 
established  at  the  very  beginning  of  the  present  cen- 
tury, and  before  that  time  letters  intended  for  this 
town  were  sent  through  private  hands.  Previous  to 
the  Revolution  there  were  only  a  few  post-offices  in 
the  Province,  and  often  persons  in  distant  parts  of 
Massachusetts  received  their  correspondence  at  Bos- 
ton. In  The  Boston  Gazette,  or  County  Journal,  June 
30,  1755,  a  letter  is  advertised  for  Samuel  Bowers,  of 
Groton,  who  at  that  time  kept  a  tavern ;  and  in  the 
same  newspaper  of  August  4,  1755,  another  is  adver- 
tised for  Captain  Samuel  Parker,  and  one  for  Dudley 
Woodbridge,  who  lived  probably  at  Groton,  Connec- 
ticut. It  is  also  stated  that  "  none  of  the  above  Let- 
ters came  by  the  last  mails."  In  the  supplement  to 
The  Boston  Gazette,  February  9,  1756,  letters  are 
advertised  as  remaining  uncalled  for,  at  the  Boston 
office,  addressed  to  William  Lakin  and  Abigail  Par- 
ker, both  of  Groton,  as  well  as  to  Samuel  Manning, 
Townsend;  William  Gleany,  Dunstable;  and  Jonathan 
Lawrence,  Littleton.  Nearly  five  months  afterward 
letters — and  perhaps  these  identical  ones — are  adver- 
tised for  the  same  persons  in  The Boston^Weehly News- 
Letter,  July  1,  1756,  as  still  uncalled  for.  The  name 
of  David  Farnum,  America,  appears  also  in  this  list, 
and  it  is  hoped  that  wherever  he  was  he  received  the 
missive.  The  names  of  Oliver  Lack  (intended  for 
Lakin)  and  Ebenezer  Parker,  both  of  this  town,  are 
given  in  another  list  printed  in  the  Gazette  QiZxjiTi^  28, 
1762;  and  in  the  same  issue  one  is  advertised  for 


172  GEOTON. 

Samuel  Starling,  America.  In  the  supplement  to  the 
Gazette,  October  10,  1768,  Ebenezer  Farnsworth,  Jr., 
and  George  Pierce,  of  Groton,  had  letters  advertised  ; 
and  in  the  Gazette  October  18,  1773,  the  names  of 
Amos  Farnsworth,  Jonas  Farns worth  and  William 
Lawrence,  all  of  this  town,  appear  in  the  list.  In 
the  Columbian  Centinel  (Boston),  January  29,  1794,  a 
letter  is  advertised  for  Benjamin  Tarbel,  of  Groton. 

I  find  no  record  of  a  post-rider  passing  through 
Groton,  during  the  period  immediately  preceding  the 
establishment  of  the  post-office ;  but  there  was  doubt- 
less such  a  person  who  used  to  ride  on  horseback, 
equipped  with  saddle-bags,  and  delivered  at  regular 
intervals  the  weekly  new^spapers  and  letters  along  the 
way.  In  the  year  1794,  according  to  the  History  of 
New  Ipswich,  New  Hampshire  (page  129),  a  post- 
rider,  by  the  name  of  Balch,  rode  from  Boston  to 
Keene  one  week  and  back  the  next.  Probably  he 
passed  through  this  town  and  served  the  inhabitants 
with  his  favors. 

Several  years  ago  I  procured,  through  the  kindness 
of  General  Charles  Devens,  at  that  time  a  member  of 
President  Hayes's  Cabinet,  some  statistics  of  the  Gro- 
ton post-office,  which  are  contained  in  the  following 
letter : 

"  Post-Office  Department,  Appointment  Office, 
"  Washington,  D,  C  ,  September  3,  1877. 
"  Hon.  Charles  Devens,  Attorney-General,  Department  of  Justice. 

"Sir, — I  have  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  a  communication  from 
Samuel  A.  Green,  of  Boston,  Massachusetts,  with  your  indorsement 
thereon,  requesting  to  be  furnished  with  a  list  of  postmasters  at  the 
office  of  Groton,  in  that  State,  from  the  date  of  its  establishment  to  the 
present  time. 

"In  reply,  I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you,  that  the  fire  which   con- 


GROTON.  173 

sumed  the  department  building,  on  the  night  of  the  fifteenth  of  De- 
cember, 1836,  destroyed  three  of  the  earliest  record-books  of  this 
office  ;  but  by  the  aid  of  the  auditor's  ledger-books,  it  is  ascertained 
that  the  office  began  to  render  accounts  on  the  first  of  January,  1801, 
but  the  exact  day  is  not  known.  Samuel  Dana  was  the  first  postmaster, 
and  the  following  list  furnishes  the  history  of  the  office,  as  shown  by 
the  old  records. 

"Groton,  Middlesex  County,  Massachusetts.  Office  probably  estab- 
lished in  November,  1800.  Samuel  Dana  began  rendering  accounts 
January  1, 1801.     Wm.  M.  Richardson,  October  1,  1804. 

"From  this  time  the  exact  dates  are  known. 
"  Abraham  Moore,  appointed  postmaster  January  31,  1812. 

Eliphalet  Wheeler,  August  20,  1815. 
James  Lewis,  September  9,  1815. 
Caleb  Butler,  July  1,  1826. 
Henry  Woods,  January  15,  1839. 
George  S.  Boutwell,  January  22,  1841. 
Caleb  Butler,  April  15,  1841. 
Welcome  Lothrop,  December  21,  1846. 
Artemas  Wood,  February  22,  1849. 
George  H.  Brown,  May  4,  1849. 
Theodore  Andruss,  April  11,  1853. 
George  W.  Fiske,  Ai)ril  22,  1861. 
Henry  Woodcock,  February  13,  1867. 

Miss  Hattie  E.  Farnsworth,  June  11,  1869,  who  is  the  present  in- 
cumbent. 

"  Each  postmaster  held  the  oflBce  up  to  the  appointment  of  his  succes- 
sor, but  it  is  probable  that  Mr.  Boutwell  and  Mr.  A.  Wood,  although 
regularly  appointed,  did  not  accept,  judging  by  the  dates  of  the  next 
postmasters. 

"  As  to  the  'income'  of  the  office,  to  which  allusion  is  made,  it  is  very 
difficult  to  obtain  any  of  the  amounts  ;  but  the  first  year  and  the  last 
year  are  herewith  appended,  as  follows  : — 

(1801)  FISCAL    YEAR  (1876) 

"First  quarter,  $1.91  First  quarter,  $314.15 

Second       "         2.13  Second      "  296.94 

Third        "         2.93  Third        "  305.71 

Fourth      "         5.29  Fourth      "  294.28 


For  the  year,    $12.26  For  the  year.  $1,211.08 


174  GROTON. 

"Trusting  the  foregoing,  which  is  believed  to  be  correct,  will  be  ac- 
ceptable to  you,  T  am,  sir,  respectfully, 

"Tour  ob't  serv't, 

"  Jamks  H.  Maer, 
"  Acting  First  Ass't  P.  31.  GeneraV 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  net  income  of  the  office, 
during  the  first  seventy-five  years  of  its  existence,  in- 
creased one  hundred-fold. 

This  letter  of  the  Acting  First  Assistant  Postmas- 
ter-General supplements  the  account  in  Butler's  "  His- 
tory of  Groton"  (pages  249-251).  According  to  Mr. 
Butler's  statement,  the  post-office  was  established  on 
September  29,  1800,  and  the  Honorable  Samuel  Dana 
was  appointed  the  first  postmaster,  Xo  mail,  how- 
ever, was  delivered  at  the  office  until  the  last  week  in 
November.  For  a  while  it  came  to  Groton  by  the 
way  of  Leominster,  certainly  a  very  indirect  route. 
This  fact  appears  from  a  letter  written  to  Judge 
Dana,  by  the  Postmaster-General,  under  the  date  of 
December  18,  1800,  apparently  in  answer  to  a  request 
to  have  the  mail  brought  directly  from  Boston.  In 
this  communication  the  writer  says : — 

"  It  appears  to  me,  that  the  arrangement  which  has  been  made  for 
carrying  the  mail  to  Groton  is  sufficient  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
inhabitants,  as  it  gives  them  the  opportunity  of  receiving  their  letters 
regularly,  and  with  despatch,  once  a  week.  The  route  from  Boston  by 
Leominster,  to  Groton  is  only  twenty  miles  farther  than  by  the  direct 
route,  and  the  delay  of  half  a  day,  which  is  occasioned  thereby,  is  not  of 
much  consequence  to  the  inhabitants  of  Groton.  If  it  should  prove  that 
Groton  produces  as  much  postage  as  Lancaster  and  Leominster,  the  new 
contract  for  carrying  the  mail,  which  is  to  be  in  operation  on  the  first  of 
October  next,  will  be  made  by  Concord  and  Groton  to  Walpole,  and  a 
branch  from  Concord  to  Marlborough. 

"  I  am,  respectfully,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

"Jos.  Habersham." 

The  amount    of  postage  received  from  the  office, 


GROTON.  175 

after  deducting  the  necessary  expenses,  including  the 
postmaster's  salary,  was,  for  the  first  year  after  its  es- 
tablishment, about  twelve  dollars,  or  three  dollars  for 
three  months.  In  the  year  1802  it  was  thirty-six  dol- 
lars, or  nine  dollars  for  three  months,  a  large  propor- 
tional increase.  At  this  time  the  mail  came  once  a 
week  only,  and  was  brought  by  the  stage-coach. 

Samuel  Dana,  the  first  postmaster,  was  a  prominent 
lawyer  at  the  time  of  his  appointment.  He  was  the 
son  of  the  Reverend  Samuel  Dana,  of  Groton,  and 
born  in  this  town  June  26,  1767.  He  occupied  a  high 
position  in  the  community,  and  exerted  a  wide  influ- 
ence in  the  neighborhood.  At  a  later  period  he  was 
president  of  the  Massachusetts  Senate,  a  member  of 
Congress,  and  finally  chief  justice  of  the  Circuit 
Court  of  Common  Pleas.  He  died  at  Charlestown,  on 
November  20,  1885. 

Judge  Dana  kept  the  post-office  in  his  own  office, 
which  was  in  the  same  building  as  that  of  the  Honor- 
able Timothy  Bigelow,  another  noted  lawyer.  These 
eminent  men  were  on  opposite  sides  of  the  same  en- 
try, and  generally  on  opposite  sides  of  all  important 
cases  in  the  northern  part  of  Middlesex  County.  The 
building  stood  on  the  site  of  Governor  Boutwell's 
house,  and  is  still  remembered  as  the  medical  office  of 
the  venerable  Dr.  Amos  Bancroft.  It  was  afterward 
moved  away,  and  now  stands  near  the  railway- station, 
where  it  is  occupied  as  a  dwelling-house.  Judge  Dana 
held  the  position  during  four  years,  and  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  William  Merchant  Richardson,  Esq.,  after- 
ward the  chief  justice  of  the  Superior  Court  of  New 
Hampshire.     Mr.  Richardson  was  a  graduate  of  Har- 


176  GROTON. 

vard  College  in  the  class  of  1797,  and  at  the  time  of 
his  appointment  as  postmaster  had  recently  finished 
his  professsional  studies  in  Groton,  under  the  guidance 
of  Judge  Dana.  After  his  admission  to  the  bar  Mr. 
Richardson  entered  into  partnership  with  his  former 
instructor,  succeeding  him  as  postmaster  in  July, 
1804;  and  the  office  was  still  kept  in  the  same  build- 
ing. During  Judge  Richardson's  term  the  net  reve- 
nue to  the  department  rose  from  nine  dollars  to  about 
twenty-eight  dollars  for  three  months.  He  held  the 
position  nearly  eight  years,  and  was  followed  by  Ab- 
raham Moore,  who  was  appointed  on  January  31, 
1812. 

Mr.  Moore  was  a  native  of  Bolton,  Massachusetts, 
where  he  was  born  on  January  5,  1785.  He  gradu- 
ated at  Harvard  College  in  the  class  of  1806,  and 
studied  law  at  Groton  with  the  Honorable  Timothy 
Bigelow,  and  after  his  admission  to  the  bar  settled 
here  as  a  lawyer.  His  office  was  on  the  site  of  the 
north  end  of  Gerrish's  Block,  and  it  was  here  that  the 
post-office  was  kept.  During  his  administration  the 
average  income  from  the  office  was  about  thirty-three 
dollars  for  the  quarter.  In  the  summer  of  1815  Mr. 
Moore  resigned  the  position  and  removed  to  Boston. 

Eliphalet  Wheeler,  who  kept  the  store  lately  occu- 
pied by  Mr.  Gerrish,  was  appointed  in  Mr.  Moore's 
stead,  and  the  post-office  was  transferred  to  his  place 
of  business.  He,  however,  was  not  commissioned, 
owing,  it  is  thought,  to  his  political  views  ;  and  Major 
James  Lewis,  who  was  sound  in  his  politics,  received 
the  appointment  in  his  stead.  Major  Lewis  retained 
Mr.  Wheeler  for  a  short  time  as  his  assistant,  and 


GROTON.  177 

during  this  period  the  duties  were  performed  by  him 
in  his  own  store.  Shortly  afterward  Caleb  Butler, 
Esq.,  was  appointed  the  assistant,  and  he  continued 
to  hold  the  position  for  eight  years.  During  this  time 
the  business  was  carried  on  in  Mr.  Butler's  law-office, 
and  the  revenue  to  the  government  reached  the  sum 
of  fifty  dollars  a  quarter.  His  office  was  then  in  a 
small  building, — just  south  of  Mr.  Hoar's  tavern, — 
which  was  moved  away  about  the  year  1820,  and  taken 
to  the  lot  where  Colonel  Needham's  house  now  stands, 
at  the  fork  of  Main  and  Hollis  Streets.  It  was  fitted 
up  as  a  dwelling,  and  subsequently  moved  away  again. 
At  this  time  the  old  store  of  Mr.  Brazer,  who  had  pre- 
viously died,  was  brought  from  over  the  way,  and  oc- 
cupied by  Mr.  Butler,  on  the  site  of  his  former  office. 

On  July  1,  1826,  Mr.  Butler,  who  had  been  Major 
Lewis'  assistant  for  many  years  and  performed  most 
of  the  duties  of  the  office,  was  appointed  postmaster. 

Mr.  Butler  was  a  native  of  Pelham,  New  Hamp- 
shire, where  he  was^born  on  September  13,  1776,  and 
a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College  in  the  class  of  1800. 
He  had  been  the  preceptor  of  Groton  Academy  for 
some  years,  and  v/as  widely  known  as  a  critical  schol- 
ar. He  had  previously  studied  law  with  the  Honorable 
Luther  Lawrence,  of  Groton,  though  his  subsequent 
practice  was  more  in  drawing  up  papers  and  settling 
estates  than  in  attendance  at  courts.  His  name  is  now 
identified  with  the  town  as  its  historian.  During  his 
term  of  office  as  postmaster  the  revenue  rose  from 
fifty  dollars  to  one  hundred  and  ten  dollars  a  quarter. 
He  held  the  position  nearly  thirteen  years,  to  the  en- 
tire satisfaction  of  the  public ;  but  for  political  her- 
12 


1 78  GEOTON. 

esy  he  was  removed  on  January  15,  1839,  when  Hen- 
ry Woods  w^as  appointed  his  successor. 

Mr.  Woods  held  the  office  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  on  January  12,  1841 ;  and  he  was  followed 
by  the  Hon.  George  S.  Boutwell,  since  the  Governor 
of  the  Commonwealth  and  a  member  of  the  United 
States  Senate.  During  the  administration  of  Mr. 
Woods  and  Mr.  Boutwell  the  office  was  kept  in  the 
brick  store,  opposite  to  the  present  High  School. 

Upon  the  change  in  the  administration  of  the  Na- 
tional Government,  Mr.  Butler  was  reinstated  in  office 
on  April  15,  1841.  He  continued  to  hold  the  position 
until  December  21,  1846,  when  he  was  again  removed 
for  political  reasons.  Mr.  Butler  was  a  most  obliging 
man,  and  his  removal  was  received  by  the  public 
with  general  regret.  Daring  his  two  terms  he  filled 
the  office  for  more  than  eighteen  years,  a  longer  period 
than  has  fallen  to  the  lot  of  any  other  postmaster  of 
the  town.  Xear  the  end  of  his  service  a  material 
change  was  made  in  the  rate  of* postage  on  letters; 
and  in  his  History  (page  251)  he  thus  comments  on  it : 

"The  experiment  of  a  cheap  rate  was  put  upon  trial.  From  May  14, 
1841,  to  December  31,  1844,  the  net  revenue  averaged  one  hundred  and 
twentj-four  dollars  and  seventy-one  cents  per  quarter.  Under  the  new 
law,  for  the  first  year  and  a  half,  the  revenue  has  been  one  hundred 
and  four  dollars  and  seventy-seven  cents  per  quarter.  Had  the  former 
rates  remained,  the  natural  increase  of  business  should  have  i-aised  it  to 
one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  quarter.  The  department,  which  for 
some  years  before  had  fallen  short  of  supporting  itself,  now  became  a 
heavy  charge  upon  the  treasury-.  Whether  the  present  rates  will  event- 
Qallj-  raise  a  sufficient  revenue  to  meet  the  expenditures,  remains  to  be 
seen.  The  greatest  dilficulty  to  be  overcome  is  evasion  of  the  post-office 
laws  and  fraud  upon  the  department." 

Like  many  otlier  persons  of  that  period,  Mr.  Butler 


GROTON.  179 

did  not  appreciate  the  fact  that  the  best  way  to  pre- 
vent evasions  of  the  law  is  to  reduce  the  rates  of  post- 
age so  low  that  it  will  not  pay  to  run  the  risk  of 
fraud. 

Captain  Welcome  Lothrop  succeeded  Mr.  Butler  as 
postmaster,  and  during  his  administration  the  office 
was  kept  in  Liberty  Hall.  Captain  Lothrop  was  a 
native  of  Easton,  Massachusetts,  and  a  land  surveyor 
of  some  repute  in  this  neighborhood.  Artemas  AVood 
followed  him  by  appointment  on  February  22,  1849; 
but  he  never  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office. 
He  was  succeeded  by  George  Henry  Brown,  who  had 
published  The  Spirit  of  the  Times,  a  political  newspa- 
per, during  the  Presidential  canvass  of  1848,  and  in 
this  way  had  become  somewhat  prominent  as  a  local 
politician.  Mr.  Brown  was  appointed  on  May  4, 
1849  ;  and  during  his  term  the  office  was  kept  in  an 
L  of  his  dwelling,  situated  nearly  opposite  to  the 
Orthodox  meeting-house.  He  was  afterward  the 
postmaster  of  Ayer.  Mr.  Brown  was  followed  by 
Theodore  Andruss,  a  native  of  Orford,  New  Hamp- 
shire, who  was  appointed  on  April  11,  1853.  Mr. 
Andruss  brought  the  office  back  to  Liberty  Hall,  and 
continued  to  be  the  incumbent  until  April  22,  1861, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  George  Washington  Fiske. 
On  February  13,  1867,  Henry  Woodcock  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  position,  and  the  office  was  then 
removed  to  the  Town-House,  where  most  excellent 
accommodations  were  given  to  the  public.  He  was 
followed  on  June  11,  1869,  by  Miss  Harriet  Elizabeth 
Farnsworth,  now  Mrs.  Marion  Z.  Putnam  ;  and  she  in 
turn  was  succeeded  on  July  2,  1880,  by  Mrs.  Christina 


180  GROTON. 

Dakin  (Caryl)  Fosdick,  the  widow  of  Samuel  Wood- 
bury Fosdick,  and  the  present  incumbent. 

The  office  is  still  kept  in  the  Town-House,  and 
there  is  no  reason  to  think  that  it  will  be  removed 
from  the  spacious  and  commodious  quarters  it  now 
occupies,  for  a  long  time  to  come.  This  public  build- 
ing was  erected  in  1859,  and  the  first  town-meeting 
was  held  within  its  walls,  on  Tuesday ,.November  8th, 
of  that  year.  The  High  School  was  first  opened  in 
the  lower  hall  on  Monday,  December  5th,  and  the  ex- 
amination of  classes  for  admission  took  place  three 
days  previously,  on  Friday,  December  2d. 

A  semi-daily  mail  was  established  between  Boston 
and  Groton  in  the  year  1849,  during  the  early  part  of 
postmaster  Brown's  administration  ;  and  a  tri-daily 
mail  on  Monday,  April  18,  1887.  The  post-office  was 
made  a  postal-order  office  on  Monday,  August  16, 
1886,  and  raised  to  the  rank  of  a  Presidential  office 
on  February  15,  1890. 

Few  towns  in  the  Commonwealth  can  present  such 
an  array  of  distinguished  men  among  their  postmas- 
ters as  that  of  Groton,  including,  as  it  does,  the 
names  of  Judge  Dana,  Judge  Richardson,  Mr.  Butler 
and  Governor  Boutwell,  One  of  Judge  Richardson's 
assistants  was  afterwards  Postmaster-General  of  the 
United  States,  The  Honorable  Amos  Kendall  was 
studying  law  in  his  office  at  the  time,  and  subse- 
quently became  Postmaster-General  under  Presidents 
Jackson  and  Van  Buren,  1835-1810.  In  Mr.  Ken- 
dall's "  Autobiography  "  (Boston,  1872),  edited  by  his 
son-in-law,  William  Stickney,  it  is  said : 

"During  the  residueof  the  year  1813  Mr.  Kendall's  studies  [at  Groton] 


GROTON.  181 

were  much  interrujited  by  the  business  of  the  office,  which  devolved  on 
him  as  the  oldest  student.  He  had  charge  of  the  post-office  ;  received, 
made  up  and  despatched  the  mails,  delivered  the  letters  and  papers  and 
made  out  the  accounts.  He  was  frequently  sent  on  business  to  the 
neighboring  towns,  and  employed  in  collecting  office  dues."     (Page  78.) 

West  Groton  is  a  small  settlement  that  has  sprung 
up  in  the  western  part  of  the  town,  dating  back  in  lis 
history  to  the  last  century.  It  is  pleasantly  situated 
on  the  banks  of  the  Squannacook  River,  and  in  my 
boyhood  was  known  as  Squannacook,  a  much  better 
name  than  the  present  one.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that 
so  many  of  the  old  Indian  words  which  have  a  local 
significance  and  smack  of  the  region,  should  have 
been  crowded  out  of  the  list  of  our  geographical 
names.  There  is  a  small  water-power  here,  and 
formerly  a  saw-mill,  grist-mill  and  a  paper-mill  were 
in  operation  ;  but  these  have  now  given  way  to  a 
factory  where  leather-board  is  made.  The  Peter- 
borough and  Shirley  Branch  of  the  Fitchburg  Eail- 
road  passes  through  the  place,  and  some  local  busi- 
ness is  transacted  in  the  neighborhood.  As  a  matter 
of  course,  a  post-office  was  needed  in  the  village,  and 
one  was  established  on  March  19,  1850.  The  first 
person  to  fill  the  office  was  Adams  Archibald,  a  native 
of  Truro,  Nova  Scotia,  who  kept  it  in  the  railway 
station. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  postmasters,  with  the 
dates  of  their  appointment : 

Adams  Archibald,  March  19,  1850. 
Edmund  Blood,  May  25,  1868. 
Charles  Henry  Hill,  July  31,  1871. 
George  Henry  Bixby,  July  11,  1878. 

During  the  postmastership  of  Mr.  Blood,  and  since 


182  GROTOX. 

that  time,  the  office  has  been  kept  in  a  store  near  the 
station,  and  for  a  long  while  the  only  one  in  the  place. 

A  post-office  was  established  at  South  Groton,  on 
June  1,  1849,  and  the  first  postmaster  was  Andrew 
Boynton  Gardner.  The  village  was  widely  known  as 
Groton  Junction,  and  resulted  from  the  intersection 
of  several  railroads.  Here  six  passenger-trains  coming 
from  different  points  were  due  in  the  same  station  at 
the  same  time,  and  they  all  were  supjjosed  to  leave  as 
punctually. 

The  trains  on  the  Fitchburg  Railroad,  arriving  from 
each  direction,  and  likewise  the  trains  on  the  Worces- 
ter and  Nashua  Road  from  the  north  and  the  south, 
passed  each  other  at  this  place.  There  was  also  a 
train  from  Lowell,  on  the  Stony  Brook  Railroad,  and 
another  on  the  Peterborough  and  Shirley  Branch, 
coming  at  that  time  from  West  Townsend. 

A  busy  settlement  grew  up,  which  was  incorporated 
as  a  distinct  town  under  the  name  of  Aver,  on  Feb- 
ruary 14,  1871,  so  called  after  the  late  James  Cook 
Ayer,  of  Lowell. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  postmasters,  with  the 
dates  of  their  appointment  : 

Andrew  Boynton  Gai'dner,  June  1,  1849. 
Harvey  Alpheus  W'oods,  August  11,  1853. 
George  Henry  Brown,  December  30,  1861. 
William  Holmes  Harlow,  December  5,  1862. 
George  Henry  Brown,  January  15,  1863. 
William  Holmes  Harlow,  July  18,  1865. 

The  name  of  the  post-office  was  changed  by  the 
Department  at  Washington,  from  South  Groton  to 
Groton  Junction,  on  March  1, 1862  ;  and  subsequently 
this  again  was  changed  to  Ayer,  on  March   22,  1871, 


GROTON.  183 

soon  after  the  incorporation  of  the  town,  during  the 
postmastership  of  Mr.  Harlow. 

Closely  akin  to  the  post-office  in  its  functions  is  the 
service  of  the  telegraph  and  the  telephone,  and  for 
that  reason  I  add  the  following  facts  : 

The  telegraph  office  was  opened  in  the  village  of 
Groton  on  Saturday,  March  20,  1880,  mainly  through 
the  exertions  of  the  late  Charles  Harrison  Waters 
and  of  Francis  Marion  Boutwell,  Esq. ;  and  the  first 
message  was  sent  to  Nashua.  The  office  was  estab- 
lished in  the  railway-station,  where  it  has  since  re- 
mained, and  the  first  operator  was  Miss  Etta  Augusta 
Shattuck. 

The  telephone  office  was  opened  in  the  village  on 
Friday,  April  29,  1881,  affi)rdiug  communication  with 
Boston  and  other  places. 

The  Old  Taverns  and  Stage-Coaches  of 
Groton. — It  has  been  said  that  there  is  nothing 
contrived  by  man  which  has  produced  so  much  hap- 
piness as  a  good  tavern.  Without  disputing  the 
statement,  all  will  agree  that  many  good  times  have 
been  passed  around  the  cheerful  hearth  of  the  old- 
fashioned  inn. 

The  sites  of  the  earliest  taverns  of  Groton  cannot 
easily  be  identified,  but  the  names  of  some  of  the 
landlords  are  found  in  the  records  of  the  Middlesex 
Court  of  Quarter  Sessions, — now  at  East  Cambridge, 
— when  they  were  licensed  as  inn-holders.  At  that 
period  no  great  preparations  were  made  in  the  small 
towns  for  the  lodging  of  strangers,  beyond  (obtaining 
the  necessary  license,  and  guests  were  treated  like 
members  of  the  family.     Occasionally  a  farmer  would 


184  GBOTON. 

keep  a  tavern  ioi  a  while,  and  thus  make  a  market 
for  his  home  products.  For  a  long  time  Groton  was 
a  frontier  settlement,  and  all  beyond  it  was  a  wilder- 
ness. The  trarel  through  the  place  was  mainly  along 
the  circumference  of  civilization.  frc»m  one  outlying 
town  to  another,  and  there  was  but  little  patronage 
for  public-houses.  The  following  list  of  early 
lan«ilords  and  retailers  of  spirits  is  taken  from  the 
Court  records,  and  the  entries  are  made  during  the 
months  of  July,  August  and  September  in  the  re- 
q>ectiTe  years : 

1€S&— Jose^^  C»dT. 

17«3Q.— Refea^y  bd  lioase  grMtrai 

17I@.-^nnci  Ftaker^  3Safl»a  Mots. 

1704.— SiBiiei  Faz^£E. 
lTi6u—SHnie3  Filter. 
!?[«.— Ssmei  FUbr. 

lT«fe.- 


171L— Mr. 

ITIS.— NsjiMiKl  Woo& 
ITli  — yatLa-id  Wooa^ 
1715.— 2s  aai^niea  Woods. 
ITie.— XaAMiel  Woofe 
1717.— y»thwMfl  Woede,  Hbmxs  BcUiM,  Seuer  foaen;  JajWB 

rag.— Mt  ^S^ffctirinl  W»5s.  Mr.  T>«»t  RdbbiK,  Mr.  IBener  G«en. 

171&.— Mi.  Bencr  G^eea,  Mr.  iSadnmel  Woofe 

ITSl— Mr.  Booa-  ^eo. 

l7fL— Mn  SiKTid  WVtrnwili^   &:.  Beaza   Gsseb,    Mr.  Jcsuthan 

1:^2.— Mr.  Bener  €^ca,  Ib^  Jsaadaa  Hsbbwd. 
172S.— Mr. , 


GROTOX.  185 

1724.— Mr.  Jons  than  Hnbbard,  Mr.  Joe^  ^raldiag. 

172.5— Mr.  William  TarbelL 

1726.— Mr.  Jonathan  Habbaid,  Mr.  William  TarbdL 

1727.— Mr.  Jonathan  Hobbard,  Mr.  William  Taxhell,  Mr.  Juoah 
Saatell. 

172S.— Mr.  Jonathan  Hab>lnrd. 

1729.— 3fr.  Jonathan  Hnbbazd. 

1730.— Mr.  Jonathan  Hnbbazd,  Mr.  Josah  SarteL  SaAainel  autdi, 
Esq. 

17B1.— Jfathaniel  sanel,  Esq.,  Mr.  Jonathan  HnbiMud. 

1732.— Xathaniel  Sarxel,  Yeq^  Mr.  James  Fairer. 

1733.— Xathaniel  SarreL,  Esq.,  3Ir.  John  Bulkley. 

1734.— Nathaniel  SartelK  E&j ,  Mr.  John  Bolklej,  Mr.  BenjMua 
Bancroft. 

1735.— yathaniel  SartelL  Z=.^.,  Mr.  Benjamin  Buien^  Mr.  John 
Buiviej. 

1736. — yathaniel  Sartel,  Le-i..  Mr.  Benjamin  Bancroft,  Mr.  JtAn 
Bolkley. 

1737.— Mr.  Benjamin  Bancnrft,  3Ir.  John  Bolkl^. 

1738.-nJobn  BaJklej,  Captain  Samne!  Pazker,  Jonadtan  a^efte. 

1739. — Captain  Samnel  Parker.  J<An  Bnlkley;  Jonathan  Sbepk, 
Abraham  Moores,  retailers. 

1740.— John  Bolkley,  Al»aham  Moores,  WHIiam  Lawrence,  ^aq. 

1741.— Samnel  Parker,  John  Bnlklej ;  William  Xavience,  Ibq.,  Abn* 
ham  M-X'rea,  retafleis. 

1742  —Samnel  Parker,  John  Bulkier,  Abraham  Moot«s  ;  WiDBm 
Lawrence,  .&q.,  Thomas  Tarbell,  refaHersL 

1743— aamnel  Puker,  J<An  Bnlklej,  Abraham  Mocma,  Jam^  Law- 
rence ;  William  Lawrence,  Beq.,  Thomas  TarbeU,  letailets. 

17*4. — Caleb  Trowbridge,  Jr.,  Isaac  Patnew<ath,  Bmjamin  BaaovO, 
John  Bolkley,  Samuel  Parker. 

17*5.— Isaac  Green,  John  Bonder,  Abraham  Mooces,  James  Law- 
rence ;  Wmiam  Lawrence,  Esq.,  Benjamin  Ch^se.  retaikxs. 

17*^— <-aIeb  Trowhtidge,  Jr.,  Boijamin  Banerirft,  Jolm  Bolkley, 
Samuel  Parker,  Amoe  Lawrence. 

1747. — Isaac  Gr*ene,  John  BoIklej,  AI»mham  Mowes,  James  Law- 
rence  ;  John  Sheple.  Ezra  Faznsworth,  retaOers. 

174S.— Cai^  Benjamin  Bancroft  Cap*.  J<^in  Bolkley,  Abn^ham 
Moores,  Caleb  Trowbridge,  Jr.,  Amoe  Lawrenm. 

1749.— John  Bolkley,  Abraham  Moorea,  James  Lawrence;  Stas 
Farasworth,  retailer. 

1750.— John  Bnlktey,  Abraham  Moorea,  James  Lawrence;  Enrn 
Famsworth,  retailer. 


186  GROTOX. 

1751.— John  Bulkley,  Abraham  Moores,  James  Lawrence  ;  Ezra 
Farnsworth,  retailer. 

1752.— John  Bulkley,  Abraham  Moores,  James  Lawrence,  James  Col- 
burn,  Jr.,  William  White  ;  Caleb  Trowbridge,  Jr.,  retailer. 

1753.— John  Bulkley,  Abraham  Moores,  Thomas  "VMiite,  Caleb  Trow- 
bridge, Jr.  ;  Josiah  Sartell,  retailer. 

1754.— John  Bulkley,  Abraham  Moores,  Thomas  White,  Caleb  Trow- 
bridge, Jr.  ;  Josiah  Sartell,  John  Stevens,  Esq.,  retailers. 

1755. — John  Bulkely,  Abraham  Moores,  Samuel  Bowers,  Thomas 
White  ;  John  Stevens,  Esq.,  Jonathan  Sartell,  retailers. 

In  the  Journal  of  the  House  of  Eepresentatives 
(page  96),  December  21,  1752,  is  a  petition  of  Caleb 
Trowbridge,  Jr.,  of  Groton,  stating  that : 

"  He  lives  iipon  a  publick  Road  leading  from  Dunstable  to  Harvard, 
which  is  frequented  by  many  Travelers ;  that  the  publick  Houses  on 
said  Eoad  are  fifteen  Miles  distant  from  each  other ;  that  he  has  only 
Liberty  to  Eetail,  yet  is  often  crowded  with  People  who  want  necessary 
Refreshment,  but  who  is  not  allowed  to  sell  it  to  them ;  he  therefore 
prays  he  may  now  obtain  a  Licence  as  an  Innholder. 

"  Pass'd  in  Council,  fiz.  In  Council,  Deceinber  21st,  1752.  Bead  and 
Ordered,  That  the  Justices  of  the  General  Sessions  of  the  Peace  for  the 
County  of  Middlesex,  be  and  they  hereby  are  allowed  to  grant  the  Peti- 
tioner a  License  to  be  an  Innholder,  if  they  see  Caiise,  at  their  Adjourn- 
ment on  Saturday,  the  23d  Instant,  the  Time  for  granting  Licences  being 
elapsed  notwithstanding,  provided  the  Petitioner  first  obtains  the  Appro- 
bation of  the  Select-Men  of  Groton  for  that  purpose. 

"  Sent  down  for  Concurrence.     Bead  and  concur'd." 

The  Trowbridge  tavern  cannot  now  be  identified 
with  certainty ;  but  it  is  highly  probable  that  it  was 
the  same  as  the  Bowers  inn,  mentioned  in  the  next 
paragraph. 

The  earliest  tavern  in  Groton,  of  which  there  is 
any  positive  record  or  knowledge,  was  kept  by  Samuel 
Bovvers,  Jr.,  in  the  house  lately  and  for  a  long  time 
occupied  by  the  Champney  family.  Mr.  Bowers  was 
born  in  Groton  on  December  21,  1711,  and,  according 
to  his  tombstone,  died  on  "  the  Sixteenth  Day  of  De- 


GROTON.  187 

cember  Anno  Domini  1768.  Half  a  hour  after  Three 
of  the  Clock  in  y^  Afternoon,  and  in  the  Fifty  Eight 
year  of  his  age."  He  was  first  licensed  in  the  year 
1755,  and  was  known  in  the  neighborhood  as 
"Land'urd  Bowers," — the  inn-keeper  of  that  period 
being  generally  addressed  by  the  title  of  landlord.  I 
do  not  know  who  succeeded  him  in  his  useful  and  im- 
portant functions. 

The  next  tavern  of  which  I  have  any  knowledge 
was  the  one  kept  by  Captain  Jonathan  Keep,  during 
the  latter  part  of  the  Revolution.  In  The  Inde- 
pendent Chronicle  (Boston),  February  15,  1781,  the 
committee  of  the  General  Court  tor  the  sale  of  con- 
fiscated property  in  Middlesex  County  advertise  the 
estate  of  Dr.  Joseph  Adams,  of  Towusend,  to  be  sold 
"at  Mr.  Keeps,  innholder  at  Groton."  This  tavern 
has  now  been  kept  as  an  inn  during  more  than  a 
century.  It  was  originally  built  for  a  dwelling-house, 
and,  before  the  Revolution,  was  occupied  by  the 
Reverend  Samuel  Dana ;  but  since  that  time  it  has  been 
lengthened  in  front  and  otherwise  considerably  en- 
larged. Captain  Keep  was  followed  by  the  brothers 
Isaiah  and  Joseph  Hall,  who  were  the  landlords  as 
early  as  the  year  1798.  They  were  succeeded  in  1825 
by  Joseph  Hoar,  who  had  just  sold  the  Emerson 
tavern,  at  the  other  end  of  the  village  street.  Except- 
ing the  year  1836,  when  Moses  Gill  and  his  brother- 
in-law,  Henry  Lewis  Lawrence,  were  the  landlords, 
Mr.  Hoar  kept  it  until  the  spring  of  1843,  when  he 
sold  out  to  Thomas  Tread  well  Farnsworth.  It  was 
then  conducted  as  a  temperance  house,  at  that  time 
considered  a  great    innovation  on  former    customs. 


188  GROTON 

After  a  short  period  it  was  sold  to  Daniel  Hunt,  who 
kept  it  until  1S52;  and  he  was  followed  by  James 
Minot  Colburn,  who  had  it  for  two  years.  It  then 
came  into  the  possession  of  Joseph  Nelson  Hoar,  a 
son  of  the  former  landlord,  who  took  it  in  1854,  and 
in  whose  family  it  has  since  remained.  Latterly  it 
has  been  managed  by  three  of  his  daughters,  and  was 
known  as  the  Central  House.  For  a  long  time  it  was 
the  only  tavern  in  the  village,  and  for  neatness  and 
comfort  could  not  easily  be  surpassed.  Within  a  few 
months  it  has  been  shut  up  as  a  public-house,  but  it 
is  hoped  only  temporarily.  The  following  description 
of  the  inn  was  written  by  the  late  Mrs.  Delano  A. 
Goddard,  in  a  letter  from  Groton  to  the  Worcester 
Daily  Spy,  July  7,  1876,  after  giving  an  account  of 
the  celebration  on  the  Fourth  of  July  : 

"I  cannot  leave  Groton  without  one  word  for  its  'Central  House,'  its 
only  tavern  ;  a  long,  low  building,  with  a  picturesque  piazza  its  whole 
length,  covered  with  a  luxuriant  woodbine.  It  is  unique,  and  is  kept  by 
three  sisters  [the  Misses  Hoar],  who  receive  their  visitors  hospitably  and 
serve  them  themselves  ;  who,  in  spite  of  all  their  household  duties, 
never  seem  hurried,  are  always  to  be  found,  always  courteous,  always 
ready.  They  are  admirable  representatives  of  the  intelligent,  capable, 
attractive  New  England  girls  who  don't  know  what  shirking  is,  but  who 
take  up  the  life  they  find  waiting  for  them,  and  make  of  it  the  best 
thing  they  can." 

In  August,  1877,  a  tavern,  known  as  the  Fletcher 
House,  was  opened  at  the  southerly  end  of  the  village 
street.  It  is  situated  on  the  easterly  side  of  the  Boston 
Road,  near  the  Colonel  Prescott  monument,  and  fifty 
years  ago  was  owned  by  Dr.  Farnsworth. 

In  a  list  of  innholders  printed  near  the  end  of 
Isaiah  Thomas's  Almanack  for  1785,  appears  the  name 
of  Richardson,  whose  tavern  stood  on  the  present  site 


GROTON.  189 

of  the  Baptist  Church.  It  was  originally  the  house 
owned  and  occupied  by  the  Rev.  Gershom  Hobart, 
which  had  been  considerably  enlarged  by  additions 
on  the  north  and  east  sides,  in  order  to  make  it  more 
suitable  for  its  new  purposes.  Mine  host  was  Captain 
Jcphthah  Richardson,  who  died  on  October  9,  1806. 
His  father  was  Converse  Richardson,  who  had  pre- 
viously kept  a  small  inn  on  the  present  Elm  Street, 
near  the  corner  of  Pleasant.  It  was  in  this  Elm 
Street  house  that  Timothy  Bigelow,  the  rising  young 
lawyer,  lived  when  he  first  came  to  Groton.  Within 
a  few  years  this  building  has  been  moved  away.  Soon 
after  the  death  of  Captain  Jephthah  Richardson  the 
tavern  was  sold  to  Timothy  Spaulding,  who  carried 
on  the  business  until  his  death,  which  occurred  on 
February  19,  1808.  Spaulding's  widow  subsequently 
married  John  Spalter,  who  was  the  landlord  for  a 
short  time.  A^bout  1812  the  house  was  rented  to 
Dearborn  Emerson,  who  had  been  a  driver  of  a  stage- 
coach, as  well  as  the  owner  of  a  line.  He  remained 
in  possession  of  it  for  a  few  years. 

During  the  War  of  1812  it  was  an  inn  of  local  re- 
nown ;  and  a  Lieutenant  Chase  had  his  headquarters 
here  for  awhile,  when  recruiting  for  the  army.  He 
raised  a  company  in  the  neighborhood,  which  was 
ordered  to  Sackett's  Harbor,  near  the  foot  of  Lake 
Ontario.  The  men  were  put  into  uniforms  as  they 
enlisted  and  drilled  daily.  They  were  in  the  habit 
of  marching  through-the  village  streets  to  the  music 
of  the  spirit-stirring  drum  and  the  ear-piercing  fife; 
and  occasionally  they  were  invited  into  the  yard  of 
some  hospitable   citizen,  who  would   treat  them   to 


190  GROTOX. 

"  the  cups  that  cheer  but  not  inebriate,"  when 
taken  in  moderation.  William  Kemp  was  the  drum- 
mer, and  Wilder  Shepley  the  fifer,  both  noted  musi- 
cians in  their  day.  Sometimes  Moses  Kemp,  a 
brother,  would  act  as  fifer.  William,  who  died  on 
September  28,  1885,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety- six 
years,  used  to  give  many  reminiscences  of  that  period. 
He  was  born  at  Groton  on  May  8,  1789,  and  began  to 
drum  in  early  boyhood.  His  first  appearance  in  the 
public  service  was  during  the  year  1805,  as  drummer  of 
the  South  Company  of  Groton,  commanded  by  Luther 
Lawrence,  Esq.,  afterward  the  mayor  of  Lowell. 
Among  the  men  enlisted  here  during  that  campaign 
were  Marquis  D.  Farnswprth,  Aaron  Lewis,  William 
Shepley  and  John  Woodward,  of  this  town;  and 
James  Adams  and  his  son,  James,  Jr.,  of  Pepperell. 

During  his  boyhood  Mr.  Kemp  knew  Major  Daniel 
Simpson,  the  veteran  drummer  of  Boston,  whose 
mother  was  Sarah,  daughter  of  Job  and  Sarah  (Hart- 
well)  Shattuck,  of  Groton.  The  major  was  born  at 
Harrison,  Maine,  on  September  29,  1790,  and  died  in 
Boston  on  July  28,  1886.  In  former  years  he  used  to 
spend  considerable  time  at  Groton,  where  many  a 
trial  of  skill  between  the  two  drummers  has'  taken 
place. 

It  was  about  the  year  1815  that  Dearborn  Emerson 
left  the  Richardson  tavern,  and  moved  down  the 
street,  perhaps  thirty  rods,  where  he  opened  another 
public-house  on  the  present  site  of  Milo  H.  Shat- 
tuck's  store.  The  old  tavern,  in  the  mean  time,  passed 
into  the  hands  of  Daniel  Shattuck,  who  kept  it  until 
the  year  before  his  death,  which  occurred  on  April  8, 


GROTON.  191 

1831.  The  business  was  then  carried  on  during  a 
short  time  by  Samuel  Clark  Tenny,  who  has  the  fol- 
lowing advertisement  in  The  Groton  Herald,  June  12, 
1830: 

"  Old  Stand. 
"  HHHE  Subscriber  would  respectfully  inform  his  friends  and  the  public 
generally,  that  he  has  taken  the  Tavern  lately  occupied'by 
Mr.  Daniel  Shattuck,  in  Groton ;  and  having  thoroughly  fitted  up  the 
same  for  the  reception  and  accommodation  of  travellers,  he  flatters  him- 
self he  shall  obtain  a  share  of  their  custom. 

"  No  pains  shall  be  spared  to  give  satisfaction  to  all  those  who  may  be 
disposed  to  patronize  him. 

"  Samuel  C.  Tenny. 
"  Groton,  June  12,  1830." 

The  next  landlord  was  Lemuel  Lakin,  and  after 
him  Francis  Shattuck,  a  son  of  Daniel,  for  another 
brief  period.  About  the  year  1833  it  was  given  up 
entirely  as  a  public-house,  and  thus  passed  away  an 
old  landmark  widely  known  in  those  times.  It  stood 
well  out  on  the  present  road,  the  front  door  facing 
down  what  is  now  Main  Street,  the  upper  end  of  which 
then  had  no  existence.  In  approaching  the  tavern 
from  the  south,  the  road  went  up  Hollis  Street  and 
turned  to  the  left  somewhere  south  of  the  Burying- 
Ground.  The  house  afterward  was  cut  up  and  moved 
off,  just  before  the  Baptist  meeting-house  was  built. 

Dearborn  Emerson  married  a  sister  of  Daniel 
Brooks,  a  large  owner  in  the  line  of  stage-coaches 
running  through  Groton  from  Boston  to  the  north- 
ward ;  and  this  family  connection  was  of  great  ser- 
vice to  him.  Jonas  Parker,  commonly  known  as 
''  Tecumseh  "  Parker,  was  now  associated  with  Emer- 
son in  keeping  the  new  hotel.  The  stage  business 
was  taken  away  from    the  Richardson   tavern,  and 


192  GROTOX. 

transferred  to  this  one.  The  house  was  enlarged, 
spacious  barns  and  stables  Avere  erected,  and  better 
accommodations  given  to  man  and  beast, — on  too 
large  a  scale  for  profit,  it  seems,  as  Parker  &  Emer- 
son failed  shortly  afterward.  This  was  in  the  spring 
of  1819,  during  which  year  the  tavern  was  purchased 
by  Joseph  Hoar,  who  kept  it  a  little  more  than  six 
years,  when  he  sold  it  to  Amos  Alexander.  This 
landlord,  after  a  long  time,  was  succeeded  in  turn  by 
Isaac  J.  Fox,  Horace  Brown,  William  Childs,  Arte- 
mas  Brown,  John  M.  Gilson,  Abijah  Wright  and 
Moses  Gill.  It  was  given  up  as  a  hotel  in  1854,  and 
made  into  a  shoe- factory,  owned  by  Messrs.  Bigelow 
&  Randall ;  and  finally  it  was  burned  on  Wednes- 
day evening,  December  19,  1855.  Mr.  Gill  had  the 
house  for  seven  years,  and  was  the  last  landlord.  He 
then  opened  a  public-house  directly  opposite  to  the 
Orthodox  Church,  and  called  it  The  Globe,  which  he 
kept  for  two  years.  He  was  succeeded  by  Stephen 
Woods,  who  remained  only  one  year,  after  which 
time  this  also  was  given  up  as  a  public-house. 

The  following  advertisement  in  The  Groton  Herald, 
March  13,  1830,  shows  that  the  selectmen  of  the  town 
at  that  time,  wishing  to  be  impartial  in  distributing 
their  official  patronage,  used  to  meet  equally  at  all 
the  taverns  in  the  village  for  the  transaction  of  public 
business: 

"Stated  Meetings  of  the  Selectmen. 

"  'p HE  Selectmen  sf  Groton  will  meet  on  the  last  Saturdays  of  each 
month  the  present  municipal  year,  at  3  o'clock,  p.  m.,  viz.  :— At 
Hoars  Tavern  in  March,  April,  May  and  June ;  at  Alexander's  in  July, 
August,  September  and  October  ;  and  at  Shattuck's  in  November,  Decem- 
ber, January  and  February. 

"  Caleb  Butlke,  Chairman.^' 


GROTON.  193 

Another  hostelry  was  the  Ridge  Hill  tavern,  situated 
at  the  Ridges,  three  miles  from  the  village,  on  the 
Great  Road  to  Boston.  This  was  built  about  the  year 
1805,  and  much  frequented  by  travelers  and  team- 
sters. At  this  point  the  roads  diverge  and  come 
together  again  in  Lexington,  making  two  routes  to 
Boston.  It  was  claimed  by  interested  persons  that 
one  was  considerably  shorter  than  the  other, — though 
the  actual  difference  was  less  than  a  mile.  In  the 
year  1824  a  guide-board  was  set  up  at  the  crotch  of 
the  roads,  proclaiming  the  fact  that  the  distance  to 
Lexington  through  Concord  was  two  miles  longer 
than  through  Carlisle.  Straightway  the  storekeepers 
and  innholders  along  the  Concord  road  published  a 
counter-statement,  that  it  had  been  measured  by 
sworn  surveyors,  and  the  distance  found  to  be  only 
two  hundred  and  thirty-six  rods  farther  than  by  the 
other  way. 

The  first  landlord  of  the  Ridge  Hill  tavern  was 
Levi  Parker,  noted  for  his  hearty  hospitality.  He 
was  afterward  deputy-sheriff  of  Middlesex  County, 
and  lived  at  Westford.  He  was  followed,  for  a  short 
time,  by  John  Stevens,  and  then  by  John  Hancock 
Loring,  who  conducted  the  house  during  many  years, 
and  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Jefferson.  After  him 
came  Henry  Lewis  Lawrence,  who  kept  it  during  one 
year;  he  was  followed  by  his  brother-in-law,  Mosea 
Gill,  who  took  the  tavern  in  April,  1837,  and  kept  it 
just  five  years.  When  Mr.  Gill  gave  up  the  house, 
he  was  followed  by  one  Langdon  for  a  short  time, 
and  he  in  turn  by  Kimball  Farr  as  the  landlord,  who 
had  bought  it  the  year  previously,  and  who  remained 
13 


194  GROTON. 

in  charge  until  1868.  During  a  part  of  the  time 
when  the  place  was  managed  by  Mr.  Farr,  his  son 
Augustus  was  associated  with  him.  Mr.  Farr  sold 
the  tavern  to  John  Fuzzard,  a  native  of  Brighton, 
England,  who  kept  it  as  the  landlord  for  a  while,  and 
is  still  the  owner  of  the  property.  He  Avas  followed 
by  Newell  M.  Jewett,  and  he  in  turn  by  Stephen 
Perkins,  a  native  of  York,  Maine,  who  took  it  in 
1880.  The  building  had  been  vacant  for  some  years 
before  that  time.  It  was  given  up  by  Mr.  Perkins  in 
the  spring  of  1884,  when  it  ceased  to  be  a  public- 
house,  and  was  occupied  again  by  Mr.  Fuzzard  as  his 
dwelling.  A  fair  used  to  be  held  here  on  the  first 
Tuesday  of  every  month  for  the  sale  of  horses,  and 
buyers  were  attracted  from  a  long  distance.  At  one 
time  this  property  was  owned  by  Judge  Samuel 
Dana,  who  sold  it  to  John  H.  Loring. 

As  early  as  the  year  1798  there  was  a  tavern  about 
a  mile  from  the  Ridges,  toward  Groton.  It  was  kept 
by  Stephen  Farrar,  in  the  house  now  standing  near 
where  the  brook  crosses  the  Great  Eoad.  Afterward 
one  Green  was  the  landlord.  The  house  known 
as  the  "  Levi  Tufts  place,"  in  the  same  neighborhood, 
was  an  inn  during  the  early  part  of  this  century,  con- 
ducted by  Tilly  Buttri'ck.  Also  about  this  time,  or 
previously,  the  house  situated  south  of  Indian  Hill, 
and  occupied  by  Charles  Prescott, — when  the  map  in 
Mr.  Butler's  History  was  made, — was  an  inn.  There 
was  a  tavern  kept  from  about  the  year  1SV2  to  1818 
by  a  Mr.  Page,  in  Mr.  Gerrish's  house, — near  the 
Unitarian  Church  in  the  village, — which  was  built 
by  Martin  Jennison,   about   1803.     Last  spring  the 


GROTON.  195 

same  dwelling  was  newly  furnished  and  opened  as 
a  boarding-house  for  transient  or  permanent  guests, 
according  to  an  advertisement  in  The  Groton  Land- 
mark, May  3,  1890.  There  was  also  a  tavern,  near 
the  present  paper-mills  of  Tileston  and  Hollings- 
worth,  kept  for  many  years  (1820-45)  by  Aaron 
Lewis,  and  after  him  for  a  short  time  by  A.  M. 
Veazie.  It  was  originally  the  house  of  John  Capell, 
who  owned  the  saw-mill  and  grist-mill  in  the  imme- 
diate neighborhood.  Amos  Adams  had  an  inn  near 
Squannacook,  a  hundred  years  ago,  in  a  house  now 
owned  by  James  Kemp. 

Forty  years  ago  an  attempt  was  made  to  organize 
a  company  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  on  a  hotel  in 
the  village,  and  a  charter  was  obtained  from  the 
Legislature.  The  stock,  however,  was  not  wholly 
taken  up,  and  the  project  fell  through.  Of  the  cor- 
parators,  Mr.  Potter  was  the  last  survivor,  and  he 
died  in  Cincinnati,  on  December  2,  1884.  Below  is 
a  copy  of  the  act : — 

"An  Act  to  incorporatk  the  Groton  Hotel  Company. 
"  BE  it  enacted  hy\  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives,  in   General 
Court  assembled,  and  by  the  authority  of  the  same,  asfolloios: 
"Sect.  1.  Luther  F.  Potter,  Nathaniel  P.  Smith,  Simeon  Ames,  their 
associates  and  successors,  are  hereby  made  a  corporation,  by  the  name 
of  the  Groton  Hotel  Company,  for  the  purpose  of  erecting,  in  the  town 
of  Groton,  buildings  necessary  and  convenient  for  a  public  house,  with 
all  the  powers  and  privileges,  and  subject  to  all  the  liabilities,  duties  and 
restrictions,  set  forth  in  the  forty-fourth  chapter  of  the  Revised  Statutes. 
"Sect.  2.  Said  corporation  may  hold  such  real  and  personal  property, 
as  may  be  necessary  and  convenient  for  the  purposes  aforesaid,  not  ex- 
ceeding in  amount  twenty  thousand  dollars  :  provided,  that  no  shares  in 
the  capital  stock  of  said  corporation  shall  be  issued  for  a  less  sum  or 
amount,  to  be  actually  paid  in  on  each,  than  the  par  value  of  the  shares 
which  shall  be  first  issued.     And  if  any  ardent  spirits,   or  intoxicating 


196  GROTOX. 

drinks  of  any  kind  whatever,  shall  be  sold  by  said  company,  or  by  their 
agents,  lessees,  or  persons  in  their  employ,  contrai-y  to  law,  in  any  of 
said  buildings,  then  this  act  shall  be  void."  [Approved  by  the  Governor, 
May  2,  1850.] 

In  the  spring  of  1852  a  charter  was  given  to  Benja- 
min Webb,  Daniel  D.  R.  Bowker,  and  their  associates, 
for  the  purpose  of  forming  a  corporation  to  carry  on 
a  hotel  at  the  Massapoag  Springs,  in  the  eastern  part 
of  this  town  ;  but  the  project  fell  through.  It  was  to 
be  called  the  Massapoag  Spring  Hotel,  and  its  capital 
stock  was  limited  to  $30,000.  The  act  was  approved 
by  the  Governor  on  May  18,  1852;  and  it  contained 
similar  conditions  to  those  mentioned  above  in  regard 
to  the  sale  of  liquors.  In  the  spring  of  1859  an  act 
was  passed  by  the  Legislature,  and  approved  by  the 
Governor  on  April  1st,  incorporating  Abel  Prescott, 
Harvey  A.  Woods,  Levi  W.  Woods,  Stephen  Roberts, 
and  Levi  W.  Phelps,  their  associates  and  successors, 
under  the  name  of  the  Groton  Junction  Hotel  Com- 
pany, for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  hotel  at  Groton 
Junction,  now  known  as  Ayer.  The  capital  of  the 
company  was  limited  to  $15,000,  but  the  stock  was 
never  taken.  These  enterprises  are  now  nearly  forgot- 
ten, though  the  mention  of  them  may  revive  the  recol- 
lections of  elderly  people. 

The  Grotox  Stage-Coaches.— During  the  first 
half  of  the  present  century  Groton  had  one  charac- 
teristic mark,  closely  connected  with  the  old  taverns, 
which  it  no  longer  possesses.  It  was  a  radiating 
centre  for  different  lines  of  stage-coaches,  until  this 
mode  of  travel  was  superseded  by  the  swifter  one  of 
the  railroad.  Wayfarers  from  the  surrounding  towns 
off  the  line  of  travel  came  hither  daily  in  private 


GROTOX.  197 

vehicles  to  engage  their  seats  and  take  their  passage. 
During  many  years  the  stage-coaches  were  a  diiitinct- 
ive  feature  of  the  place  ;  and  their  conaing  and  going 
were  watched  with  great  interest,  and  created  the  ex- 
citeoient  of  the  day.  In  early  times  the  drivers,  as 
they  approached  the  village,  would  blow  a  bugle  in 
order  to  give  notice  of  their  arrival ;  and  this  blast 
was  the  signal  at  the  taverns  to  put  the  food  on  the 
table.  More  than  a  generation  has  now  passed  away 
since  these  coaches  were  wont  to  be  seen  in  the  vil- 
lage streets.  They  were  drawn  usually  by  four  horses, 
and  in  bad  going  by  six.  Here  a  change  of  coaches, 
horses  and  drivers  was  made. 

The  stage-driver  of  former  times  belonged  to  a 
class  of  men  that  has  now  disappeared  from  the  com- 
munity. His  position  was  one  of  considerable  respon- 
sibility. This  important  personage  was  well  known 
along  the  route,  and  his  opinions  were  always  quoted 
with  respect.  I  easily  recall  the  familiar  face  of  Aaron 
Corey,  who  drove  the  accommodation  stage  to  Boston 
for  so  many  years.  He  was  a  careful  and  skillful 
driver,  and  a  man  of  most  obliging  disposition.  He 
would  go  out  of  his  way  to  bear  a  message  or  leave  a 
newspaper  ;  but  his  specialty  was  to  look  after  women 
and  children  committed  to  his  charge.  He  carried 
also  packages  and  parcels,  and  largely  what  to-day  is 
intrusted  to  the  express.  I  recall,  too,  with  pleasure 
Horace  George,  another  driver,  popular  with  all  the 
boys,  because  in  sleighing  tintie  he  would  let  us  ride 
on  the  rack  behind,  and  even  slacken  the  speed  of  his 
horses  so  as  to  allow  us  to  catch  hold  of  the  straps. 
In  youthful  dialect,  the  practice  was  called  "ketching 
on  behind.'' 


198  GROTON. 

Some  people  now  remember  the  scenes  of  life  and 
activity  that  used  to  be  witnessed  in  the  town  on  the 
arrival  and  departure  of  the  stages.  Some  remem- 
ber, too,  the  loud  snap  of  the  whip  which  gave  in- 
creased speed  to  the  horses,  as  they  dashed  up  in  ap- 
proved style  to  the  stopping-place,  where  the 
loungers  were  collected  to  see  the  travelers,  and  listen 
to  the  gossip  which  fell  from  their  lips.  There  were 
no  telegraphs  then,  and  but  few  railroads  in  the  coun- 
try. The  papers  did  not  gather  the  news  so  eagerly 
nor  spread  it  abroad  as  pronaptly  as  they  do  now  ; 
and  items  of  intelligence  were  carried  largely  by 
word  of  mouth. 

The  earliest  line  of  stage-coaches  between  Boston 
and  Groton  was  the  one  mentioned  in  the  Colum- 
bian Centinel,  April  6,  1793.  The  advertisement  is 
headed  "  New  Line  of  Stages,"  and  gives  notice 
that— 

"  A  Stage-Carnage  drives  from  Bobbins'  Tavern,  at  Charles-River 
Bridge,  on  Monday  and  Friday,  in  each  week,  and  passing  through 
Concord  and  Groton,  arrives  at  Wijman's  tavern  in  Ashley  [Ashby]  in  the 
evenings  of  the  same  days  ;  and  after  exchanging  passengers  there  ^ 
■with  the  Stage  Carriage  from  Waljyole,  it  returns  on  Tuesdays  and  Sat- 
urdays, by  the  same  route  to  Robbins's. 

The  C'harlestoicn  Carriage  drives  also  from  Eohhins'  on  Wednesday  in 
each  VFeek,  and  passing  through  Concord  arrives  at  Richardson's  tavern, 
in  Groton,  on  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  and  from  thence  returns  on 
Thursday  to  Robbins". 

"Another  Carriage  drives  from  Richardson's  tavern  in  Groton,  on  Mon- 
day in  each  week,  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  passing  by  i?ic/i a ;-rf- 
son's  tavern  in  Concord,  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  arrives  at  Charles- 
town  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  From  Charleslown  it  drives  on 
Tuesday  and  Thursday  in  each  week,  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
and  returns  back  as  far  as  Richardson's  tavern  in  Concord — and  from 
that  place  it  starts  at  8  o'clock  in  the  mornings,   of  Wednesday  and 


GROTON.  199 

Friday,  and  nilis  again  to  Charlestown.  From  there  it  moves  at  six 
o'clock  on  Saturday  morning,  and  returns  to  Richardion'' s  tavern  in 
Groton,  in  the  evening  of  the  same  day." 

It  was  probably  one  of  these  "  Carriages"  to  which 
allusion  is  made  in  Mr.  Winthrop's  "  Memoir  of  the 
Honorable  Nathan  Appleton,"  as  follows : 

"  At  early  dusk  on  some  October  or  November  evening,  in  the  year 
1794,  a  fresh,  vigorous,  bright-eyed  lad,  just  turned  of  fifteen,  might 
have  been  seen  alighting  from  a  stage-coach  near  Quaker  Lane,i  as 
it  was  then  called,  in  the  old  town  of  Boston.  He  had  been  two  days 
on  the  road  from  his  home  in  the  town  of  New  Ipswich,  in  the  State 
of  New  Hampshire.  On  the  last  of  the  two  days,  the  stage-coach 
had  brought  him  all  the  way  from  Groton  in  Massachusetts  ;  starting 
for  that  purpose  early  in  the  morning,  stopping  at  Concord  for  the 
passengers  to  dine,  trundling  them  through  Charlestown  about  the 
time  the  evening  lamps  were  lighted,  and  finishing  the  whole  distance 
of  rather  more  than  thirty  miles  in  season  for  supper.  For  his  first 
day's  journey,  there  had  been  no  such  eligible  and  expeditious  con- 
veyance. The  Boston  stage-coach,  in  those  days,  went  no  fai'ther  than 
Groton  in  that  direction.  His  father's  farm-horse,  or  perhaps  that  of 
one  of  the  neighbors,  had  served  his  turn  for  the  first  six  or  seven  miles  ; 
his  little  brother  of  ten  years  old  having  followed  him  as  far  as  Town- 
send,  to  ride  the  horse  home  again.  But  from  there  he  had  trudged 
along  to  Groton  on  foot,  with  a  bundle-handkerchief  in  his  hand,  which 
contained  all  the  wearing  apparel  he  had,  except  what  was  on  his  back." 
— Proceedings  of  the  Massachusetta  Historical  Society,  v.  249,  250. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  first  public  conveyance 
between  Boston  and  Groton  w^as  a  covered  wagon, 
hung  on  chains  for  thoroughbraces ;  but  this  was 
probably  subsequent  to  the  time  of  the  advertisement. 
It  was  owned  and  driven  by  Lemuel  Lakin,  but  after 
a  few  years  the  owner  sold  out  to  Dearborn  Emer- 
son. 

The  following  advertisement  from  the  Columbian 


1  Now  Congress  Street. 


200  GROTOX. 

Ce/itinel,  June  25,  1800,  will  give  a  notion  of  what  an 
undertaking  a  trip  to  Boston  was  at  the  beginning  of 
the  century  : 

"  GiBOTOX    STAGE. 

"  The  subscriber  respectfully  informs  the  public  that  he  drives  the 
Stage  from  Boston  to  Groton,  runniog  through  Lexington,  Concord,  and 
Littleton,  to  Groton  :  Starts  from  Boston  every  Wednesday  morning,  at  5 
o'clock,  and  arrives  at  Groton  the  same  day  ;  Starts  from  Groton  every 
Monday  morning,  at  7  o'clock,  and  arrives  at  Boston  the  same  day  at  i 
o'clock.     Passage  through,  2  dols.  per  mile,  4d. 

"  Danbobn  Emekson. 

"  Seats  taken  at  Mr.  Silas  DriTON's  in  BoyaJ  Exchange  Lane.  News- 
papers supplied  on  the  road,  and  every  attention  paid  to  conveyances." 

The  given-name  of  Emerson  was  Dearborn,  and 
not  "  Danborn,"  which  is  a  misprint.  Two  years 
later  he  was  running  a  stage-coach  from  Groton  to 
New  Ipswich,  New  Hampshire;  and  on  the  first  re- 
turn trip  he  brought  three  passengers, — according  to 
the  "  History  of  New  Ipswich  "  (page  129).  Emerson 
was  a  noted  driver  in  his  day ;  and  he  is  mentioned 
with  pleasant  recollections  by  the  Honorable  Abbott 
LaAvrence,  in  an  after-dinner  speech  at  the  Jubilee  of 
Lawrence  Academy,  on  July  12,  1854,  as  appears 
from  the  published  account  of  the  celebration.  Sub- 
sequently he  was  the  landlord  of  one  of  the  local 
taverns. 

It  is  advertised  in  The  Massachusetts  Register,  for 
the  year  1802,  that  the— 

"  GEOTON  Stage  sets  off  from  J.  and  S.  W'heelock's  [Indian  Queen 
Inn],  Xo.  37,  Marlboro'-Street  [now  a  part  of  Washington  Street,  Bos- 
ton], every  Wednesday  at  4  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  arrives  at  Gro- 
ton at  3  o'clock  in  the  aifternoon,  same  day;  leaves  Groton  every 
Monday  at  4  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  arrives  in  Boston  at  6  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  same  day."     (Pages  19,  20.) 


GROTON.  201 

It  seems  from  this  uotice  that  it  took  three  hours 
longer  to  make  the  trip  down  to  Boston  than  up  to 
Groton, — of  which  the  explanation  is  not  clear.  In 
the  Register  for  1803,  a  semi-weekly  line  is  advertised, 
and  the  same  length  of  time  is  given  for  making  the 
trip  each  way  as  is  mentioned  in  the  Register  of  the 
preceding  year. 

About  the  year  1807  there  was  a  tri-weekly  line  of 
coaches  to  Boston,  and  as  early  as  1820  a  daily  line, 
which  connected  at  Groton  with  others  extending 
into  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont.  Soon  after  this 
time  there  were  two  lines  to  Boston,  running  in  op- 
position to  each  other, — one  known  as  the  Union  and 
Accommodation  Line,  and  the  other  as  the  Telegraph 
and  Despatch. 

One  of  the  drivers  for  the  Telegraph  and  Despatch 
Line  was  Phineas  Harrington,  popularly  known  along 
the  road  as  "Phin  "  Harrington.  He  had  orders  to 
take  but  eight  passengers  in  his  coach,  and  the  trip 
was  made  with  remarkable  speed  for  that  period. 
"  Phin  "  was  a  man  of  small  size;  and  the  story  used 
to  be  told  of  him  that,  on  cold  and  stormy  nights,  he 
would  get  inside  of  one  of  the  lamps  fixed  to  the  box, 
in  order  to  warm  his  feet  by  the  lighted  wick !  He 
passed  almost  his  whole  life  as  a  stage-man,  and  it  is 
said  that  he  drove  for  nearly  forty  years.  He  could 
handle  the  reins  of  six  horses  with  more  skill  than 
any  other  driver  in  town.  Mr.  Harrington  died  at 
Dracut,  on  May  23,  1870,  aged  eighty  years,  two 
months  and  nine  days. 

William  Shepard  &  Co.  advertise  in  The  Groton 
Herald,  April  10,  1830,  their  accommodation  stage. 


202  GROTON. 

"  Good  Teams  and  Coaches  with  careful  and  obliging 
drivers  will  be  provided  by  the  subscribers."  Books 
were  kept  in  Boston  at  A.  M.  Brigham's,  No.  42  Han- 
over Street,  and  in  Groton  at  the  taverns  of  Amos 
Alexander  and  Joseph  Hoar.  The  fare  was  one  dol- 
lar, and  the  coach  went  three  times  a  week. 

About  this  time  George  Flint  had  a  line  to  Nashua, 
and  John  Holt  another  to  Fitchburg.  They  adver- 
tise together  in  the  Herald,  May  1,  1830,  that  "  no 
pains  shall  be  spared  to  accommodate  those  who  shall 
favor  them  with  their  custom,  and  all  business  in- 
trusted to  their  care  will  be  faithfully  attended  to." 
The  first  stage-coach  from  this  town  to  Lowell  began 
to  run  about  the  year  1829,  and  John  Austin  was  the 
driver.  An  opposition  line  was  established  soon  after- 
ward, and  kept  up  during  a  short  time,  until  a  com- 
promise was  made  between  the  two  lines.  Later, 
John  Russ  was  the  owner  and  driver  of  the  line  to 
Lowell,  and  still  later,  John  M.  Maynard  the  owner. 
Near  this  period  there  was  a  coach  running  to  Wor- 
cester, and  previously  one  to  Amherst,  New  Hamp- 
shire. 

Fifty  years  ago  General  Thomas  Adams  Staples  was 
a  well-known  stage  proprietor.  He  was  a  man  of 
large  frame  and  fine  proportions,  and  is  still  remem- 
bered by  many  residents  of  the  town.  He  was  born 
in  Boston  on  July  20,  1804,  and  died  at  Machias, 
Maine,  on  November  13,  1880. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  some  of  the  old  drivers, 
who  were  well-known  along  their  respective  routes. 
It  is  arranged  in  no  particular  order  and  is  by  no 
means  complete ;  and  the  dates  against  a  few  of  the 


GROTON.  203 

names  are  only  approximations  to  the  time  when  each 
one  sat  on  the  box. 

Lemuel  Lakin  was  among  the  earliest ;  and  he  was 
followed  by  Dearborn  Emerson.  Daniel  Brooks  drove 
to  Boston  during  the  period  of  the  last  war  with  Eng- 
land, and  probably  later. 

Aaron  Corey  drove  the  accommodation  stage  to 
Boston,  through  Carlisle,  Bedford  and  Lexington,  for 
a  long  time,  and  he  had  previously  driven  the  mail- 
coach.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Calvin,  the 
driver  for  a  few  years,  until  the  line  was  given  up  in 
1850.  Mr.  Corey,  the  father,  was  one  of  the  veter- 
ans, having  held  the  reins  during  thirty-two  years ; 
he  died  March  15,  1857,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three. 

Isaac  Bullard  (1817-30),  William  Smart  (1825-30), 
George  Hunt,  Jonathan  Buttrick,  Obadiah  Kendall, 
Albert  Hay  den,  Charles  Briggs,  Levi  Robbins,  James 
Lord,  Frank  Brown,  Silas  Burgess,  Augustus  Adams, 
William  Dana,  Horace  Brown,  Levi  Wheeler,  Tim- 
othy Underwood, Bacon,  Horace  George  (1838- 

45),  Leonard  Williams  Cushing  (1842-45)  and  Joseph 
Stewart, — these  drove  to  Boston.  After  the  stages 
w^ere  taken  off,  "  Joe  "  Stewart  was  the  driver  of  the 
passenger-coach  from  the  village  to  the  station  on  the 
Fitchburg  Railroad,  which  ran  to  connect  with  the 
three  daily  trains  for  Boston.  The  station  was  three 
miles  away,  and  now  within  the  limits  of  Ayer. 

Among  the  drivers  to  Keene,  New  Hampshire, 
were  Kimball  Danforth  (1817-40),  Ira  Brown,  Oliver 
Scales,  Amos  Nicholas,  Otis  Bardwell,  Abel  Marshall, 
the  brothers  Ira  and  Hiram  Hodgkins,  George  Brown, 
Houghton   Lawrence,   Palmer    Thomas,   Ira  Green, 


204  GROTON. 

Barney  Pike,  William  JohnsoD,  Walter  Carleton 
and  John  Carleton.  There  were  two  stage  routes  to 
Keene,  both  going  as  far  as  West  Townsend  in  com- 
mon, and  then  separating,  one  passing  through  New 
Ipswich  and  Jaffrey,  a  northerly  route,  while  the 
other  went  through  Ashby,  Rindge  and  Fitzwilliam, 
a  southerly  one. 

Anson  Johnson  and  Beriah  Curtis  drove  to  Wor- 
cester ;  Addison  Parker,  Henry  Lewis  Lawrence, 
Stephen  Corbin,  John  Webber,  and  his  son  Ward, 
drove  to  Lowell ;  the  brothers  Abiel  and  Nathan 
Fawcett,  Wilder  Proctor  and  Abel  Hamilton  Fuller, 
to  Nashua. 

Micah  Ball,  w^ho  came  from  Leominster  about  the 
year  1824,  drove  to  Amherst,  New  Hampshire,  and 
after  him  Benjamin  Lewis,  who  continued  to  drive  as 
long  as  he  lived,  and  at  his  death  the  line  was  given 
up.  The  route  lay  through  Pepperell,  Hollis  and 
Milford. 

The  forerunner  of  this  Amherst  stage  was  a  one- 
horse  vehicle,  which  used  to  go  over  the  road  each 
way  two  or  three  times  a  week,  and  carry  the  mail. 
It  began  to  run  about  the  year  1820,  and  took  pas- 
sengers as  occasion  required. 

Other  reins-men  were  John  Chase,  Joel  Shattuck, 
William    Shattuck,   Moses   Titus,   Frank   Shattuck, 

David  Coburn, Chickering,  Thomas  Emory  and 

William  Kemp,  Jr. 

The  sad  recollection  of  an  accident  at  Littleton,  re- 
sulting in  the  death  of  Silas  Bullard,  is  occasionally 
revived  by  some  of  the  older  people.  It  occurred  on 
February  3,  1835,  and  was  caused  by  the  upsetting  of 


GROTON.  205 

the  Groton  coach,  driven  by  Samuel  Stone,  and  at  the 
time  just  descending  the  hill  between  Littleton  Com- 
mon and  Nagog  Pond,  then  known  as  Kimball's  Hill. 
Mr.  Bullardwas  one  of  the  owners  of  the  line,  and  a 
brother  of  Isaac,  the  veteran  driver.  The  Colum- 
Man  Centinel,  February  5,  1835,  contains  the  fol- 
lowing account  of  the  affair  : 

*'■  From  Bri'jgs's  News  Boom  Bulletin.''^ 

"  On  Tuesday  afternoon  [February  3],  as  the  Groton  and  Keene  mail- 
stage  was  returning  to  this  city,  in  a  narrow  pass  of  the  road  in  Little- 
ton, one  of  the  fore  wheels  of  the  stage  came  in  contact  with  the  hind 
wheel  of  a  wagon,  which  suddenly  overturned  the  stage. — There  were 
eleven  passengers  in  the  vehicle  at  the  time,  who,  with  the  exception  of 
Mr.  Silas  Bullard,  of  this  city,  and  Mr.  Washington  Shepley,  of  Groton, 
escaped  uninjured.  Mr.  Bullard  was  seated  with  the  driver  at  the  time 
of  the  accident,  and  was  thrown,  with  great  violence,  to  the  ground,  the 
stage  falling  immediately  upon  him.  His  collar-bone  and  two  of  bis 
ribs  were  broken,  shoulder  blade  dislocated,  and  otherwise  injured.  He 
was  conveyed  to  a  private  dwelling,  where  he  has  the  best  medical  aid, 
but  his  recovery  is  very  doubtful.  Mr.  Shepley's  injuries  were  of  an  in- 
ternal nature,  but  not  such  as  to  prevent  his  immediate  return  to  Gro- 
ton.    A  passenger  states  that  no  blame  can  be  attached  to  the  driver." 

Mr.  Bullard  died  on  February  5th,  and  the  Centinel 
of  the  next  day  pays  a  worthy  tribute  to  his  char- 
acter. 

Besides  the  stage-coaches,  the  carrier-wagons  added 
to  the  business  of  Groton,  and  helped  largely  to  sup- 
port the  taverns.  The  town  was  situated  on  one  of 
the  main  thoroughfares  leading  from  Boston  to  the 
northern  country,  comprising  an  important  part  of 
New  Hampshire  and  Vermont,  and  extending  into 
Canada.  This  road  was  traversed  by  a  great  number 
of  wagons,  drawn  by  four  or  six  horses,  carrying  to 
the  city  the  various  products  of  the  country,  such  as 


206  GROTON. 

grain,  pork,  butter,  cheese,  eggs,  venison,  hides ;  and 
returning  with  goods  found  in  the  city,  such  as  mo- 
lasses,, sugar,  New  England  rum,  coffee,  tea,  nails, 
iron,  cloths,  and  the  innumerable  articles  found  in 
the  country  stores,  to  be  distributed  among  the  towns 
above  here.  In  some  seasons  it  was  no  uncommon 
sight  to  see  forty  such  wagons  passing  thrc^ugh  the 
village  in  one  day. 

In  addirion  to  these  were  many  smaller  vehicles, 
drawn  by  one  or  two  horses,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
private  carriages  of  individuals  who  were  traveling 
for  business  or  pleasure. 

The  Grotox  Fire  Department. — The  first  fire- 
engine  in  Groton  was  made  in  the  year  1802,  by  Lo- 
ammi  Baldwin,  Jr.,  then  a  law-student  in  the  office 
of  the  Honorable  Timothy  Bigelow,  but  who  after- 
ward became  a  civil  engineer.  He  was  a  son  of 
Loammi  and  Mary  (Fowle)  Baldwin,  and  born  at 
Woburn  on  May  16,  1780  ;  and  after  his  graduation 
at  Harvard  College,  in  the  class  of  1800,  he  came  to 
Groton  in  order  to  study  the  profession  of  law.  Like 
many  others  he  does  not  seem  to  have  found  out  at  the 
start  his  proper  calling,  as  his  tastes  were  naturally 
for  mechanical  science  and  the  kindred  arts.  While 
following  his  studies  here,  a  house,  situated  just  south 
of  the  academy  grounds,  was  burned  down  in  the 
winter-time  and  there  was  no  fire-engine  to  stop  it. 
The  neighbors  had  to  fight  the  flames  as  best  they 
could,  with  snow  as  well  as  water.  By  this  incident 
he  became  so  impressed  with  the  need  of  an  engine  in 
Groton,  that  with  his  own  hands  he  constructed  the 
first  one  the  town  ever  had.     This  identical  machine, 


GROTON.  207 

known  for  a  long  time  as  Torrent,  No.  1,  is  still  ser- 
viceable after  a  use  of  more  than  eighty- eight  years, 
and  will  throw  a  stream  of  water  over  the  highest  roof 
in  the  town.  It  was  made  in  Jonathan  Loring's  shop, 
then  opposite  to  Mr.  Boynton's  blacksmith-shop, 
where  the  ironwork  was  done.  The  tub  is  of  copper, 
and  bears  the  date  "  1802."  Mr.  Baldwin,  soon  after 
this  time,  gave  up  the  practice  of  law,  and  became 
distinguished  in  his  new  profession. 

The  following  description  of  the  engine  is  found  in 
The   Firemen's   Standard   (Boston)   for  April,    1884: 

"  The  old  '  machine  '  has  a  quaint  appearance  with  its  copper  tub  on 
which  is  inscribed  its  name,  Torrent,  No.  1,  and  its  ancient  tool  box 
which  bears  the  date  of  its  birth,  1802,  The  said  tub  is  three  feet  six 
inches  long,  two  feet  two  inches  wide,  and  twenty-two  inches  deep.  On  its 
bottom  rests  an  oak  plank  in  which  are  set  the  valves  and  in  which 
stand  the  brass  cylinders  and  air  chamber,  the  former  of  which  being 
each  five  inches  in  diameter  and  sixteen  inches  high.  A  gooseneck  on 
the  top  of  the  air  chamber  serves  as  the  outlet  for  the  water  and  a  reel  is 
attached  to  the  hind  part  of  the  tub  capable  of  carrying  one  hundred 
feet  of  two-inch  hose,  the  first  supply  of  which  was  made  at  the  harness 
shop  and  sewed  with  waxed  thread"  (page  4). 

Among  the  active  members  of  Torrent  Company, 
nearly  fifty  years  ago,  was  Elijah  Tracy,  a  deaf-mute, 
who  attended  the  stated  meetings,  and  turned  out  at 
the  fires,  with  as  much  regularity  as  his  more  favored 
comrades. 

At  two  different  times  within  sixteen  years,  Torrent, 
No.  1,  has  done  most  excellent  service  in  putting  out 
fires,  and  it  is  the  testimony  of  all  acquainted  with 
the  facts,  that  on  each  of  these  occasions  it  prevented 
a  serious  conflagration.  Notably  this  was  so  at  a  fire 
which  took  place  early  on  Sunday  morning,  October 
26,  1884,  when  a  dwelling-house,  owned  by  Andrew 


208  GROTON. 

Robbins,  was  burned  down.  At  this  time  Mr.  Dix's 
buildings,  in  very  close  proximit}',  were  in  great 
danger,  but  they  were  saved  through  the  efforts  of  the 
Fire  Department  and  the  use  of  the  old  engine,  which 
was  worked  to  good  advantage  in  narrow  quarters, 
where  the  other  engine  could  not  be  taken.  The 
other  occasion  was  when  Walter  Shattuck's  store  was 
burned  down  on  November  17,  1874 ;  and  largely  by 
means  of  this  engine  the  Congregational  meeting- 
house was  saved  from  destruction. 

Torrent,  No.  1,  until  recently,  was  housed  at  the 
end  of  a  row  of  horse-sheds,  near  the  First  Parish 
meeting-house,  but  in  the  year  1885  it  was  transferred 
to  West  Groton,  for  the  protection  of  that  part  of  the 
town.  It  was  there  placed  in  the  charge  of  a  volun- 
teer company  of  young  men  ;  and  on  April  5,  1886, 
the  town  voted  to  authorize  the  Board  of  Engineers 
to  form  a  permanent  company  in  that  village,  which 
was  accordingly  done,  with  the  volunteer  association 
as  a  nucleus.  The  engine  has  been  re-named,  and 
is  now  know^n  as  the  Squannacook.  An  engine-house, 
next  to  the  new  church  on  Groton  Street,  has  been 
built,  which  was  formally  opened  with  appropriate 
ceremonies,  on  the  evening  of  December  30,  1887.  In 
the  upper  story  is  a  hall  for  public  meetings,  where, 
on  January  6,  1888,  the  company  gave  a  ball.  A 
pamphlet  was  printed  (Ayer,  1887,  12mo,  pp.  8),  enti- 
tled "Constitution  and  By-Laws  of  Squannacook  En- 
gine Co.,  No.  2,  West  Groton,  Mass.,"  which  sets  forth 
the  rules  of  their  government. 

The  Union  Engine  Company  was  organized  in  the 
spring  of  1830,  and  the  immediate  occasion  of  its  for- 


GROTON.  209 

mation  was  the  series  of  incendiary  fires  that  occurred 
during  the  year  1829.  Presumably  the  name  of  the 
engine  comj3any  was  taken  from  the  Union  Congre- 
gational Church  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  ;  and 
the  engine  was  housed  at  the  easterly  end  of  the 
horse-sheds,  situated  on  the  northerly  side  of  the 
meeting-house. 

The  following  notice  in  the  Groton  Herald,  May 
8,  1830,  is  addressed  to  the  subscribers  for  the  engine  : 

"TAKE  NOTICE. 
'^  r  I  iHE  Subscribers  to  the  New  Eugine  are  hereby  requested  to  meet 
-*-  at  Alexander's  Hotel,  MONDAY  the  10th  inst.,  at6  oclock, 
P.M.  to  hear  the  report  of  their  Committee,  chosen  for  the  purpose  of 
purchasing  an  Engine,  and  to  transact  any  other  business  which  they 
may  think  expedient. 

"Elijah  Whiton,  )  ^ 
.._    .    ^  y  ComtiiMee. 

"T.  A.  Staples.     J 
"Groton,  May  8,  1830." 

A  Board  of  Engineers  of  the  Fire  Department  was 
originally  appointed  in  April,  1875,  by  the  selectmen, 
in  accordance  with  Chapter  35  of  the  Public  Stat- 
utes. Their  first  report  was  made  in  the  spring  of 
1876,  and  printed  in  the  Town  Report  of  that  year. 
A  new  engine,  known  as  the  Lawrence,  was  bought 
in  August,  1875,  and  is  kept  in  the  town-house.  The 
following  is  a  list  of  the  chief  engineers,  with  the  dates 
of  their  several  appointments,  which  are  made  by 
the  selectmen : 

April  10,  1875,  George  Sumner  Graves. 
April  22, 1876,  Charles  Blood. 
April  24, 1877,  Charles  Blood. 
April  22,  1878,  Charles  Blood. 
April  23,  1879,  Charles  Blood. 
April  17,  1880,  Charles  Blood. 
April  20, 1881,  John  Gilson. 

u 


210  GROTON. 

April  21,  1882,  John  Gilson. 
March  20,  1883,  John  Gilson. 
March  29,  1884,  George  Sumner  Graves. 
March  18,  1885,  George  Sumner  Graves. 
March  15,  1886,  Charles  WooUe}'. 
March  26, 1887,  Charles  Woolley. 
April  2,  1888,  Charles  Woolley. 
April  1. 1889,  Charles  Woolley. 
April  1,  1890,  Charles  Woolley. 

Groton  Fire  Club. — The  Groton  Fire  Club  was  form- 
ed during  the  winter  of  1815  ;  and  the  immediate  oc- 
casion of  its  organization  was  the  burning  of  John 
Wethered's  dwelling  on  Wednesday  evening,  Febru- 
ary 1,  1815.  This  house  stood  at  the  lower  end  of 
Main  Street,  and  some  years  previously  had  been 
owned  and  occupied  by  Dr.  Oliver  Prescott,  Senior. 
Mr.  Wethered  was  from  Wilmington,  Delaware,  and 
came  to  Groton  from  that  State.  According  to  tradi- 
tion the  dwelling  was  set  on  fire  by  a  negro  in  his  em- 
ploy, who  had  been  a  slave  at  the  South. 

On  November  7,  1814,  Mr.  Wethered  bought  the 
place  of  Dr.  Oliver  Prescott,  Jr.  ;  and  three  months 
later  the  house  was  burned,  as  has  been  stated.  On 
April  29,  1816,  Mr.  Wethered  sold  it  to  Robert  C. 
Ludlow,  of  Boston,  a  purser  in  the  United  States 
Navy,  who,  at  this  time,  in  connection  with  Commo- 
dore Bainbridge  and  Charles  W.  Green,  was  interest- 
ed in  the  ownership  of  the  Lakia  farm,  where  they 
were  then  raising  sheep.  On  September  25,  1817, 
Purser  Ludlow  sold  it  to  Joshua  Nash,  who  ten  years 
later  became  the  father-in-law  of  the  late  Bradford 
Russell,  Esq.,  of  Groton. 

The  present  house  on  the  same  site  was  built  about 
the  vear  1826  by  Miss  Susan  Prescott,  afterward  Mrs. 


GROTON.  211 

John  Wright,  for  the  accommodation  of  her  school 
for  girls,  a  famous  institution  more  than  sixty  years 
ago.  After  Mrs.  Wright's  occupation  of  the  place,  it 
passed  into  the  hands  of  Dr.  Amos  Farnsworth,  and 
since  that  time  there  have  been  several  owners.  The 
house  is  now  kept  as  a  tavern. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  Fire  Club  was  held  on 
February  4,  1815,  when  the  Honorable  James  Pres- 
cott  was  chosen  president  of  the  association,  and  Ca- 
leb Butler,  Esq.,  secretary.  The  club  used  to  meet 
annually,  for  the  choice  of  officers,  at  one  of  the  pub- 
lic-houses in  the  village,  when  a  supper  was  served ; 
and  sometimes  on  such  occasions  members  of  one  of 
the  engine  companies  would  be  invited  to  join  in  the 
festivities.  Each  member  of  the  Fire  Club  was  re- 
quired to  provide  two  leather  buckets  and  a  fire-bag, 
which  were  to  be  always  ready  for  use ;  and  a  failure 
to  take  them  to  a  fire  was  met  with  a  fine.  Among 
some  of  the  descendants  of  the  early  members 
these  articles  are  now  treasured  as  heirlooms. 

On  March  1,  1875,  the  town  voted  to  adopt  Chapter 
XXIY.,  Sections  23-31,  of  the  C4eneral  Statutes  of  the 
t^ommonwealth,  by  which  action  the  need  of  a  pri- 
vate organization  w^as  largely  superseded.  The  last 
meeting  of  the  Fire  Club,  according  to  the  records, 
was  held  in  November,  1872,  no  day  of  the  month 
given.  The  following  preamble,  with  a  list  of  the 
original  members,  is  taken  from  the  first  two  pages  of 
the  record-book : 

"  The  undersigned,  Inhabitants  ofGroton  warned  by  the  recent  confla- 
gration in  this  village  i  and  feeling  one  common  interest  and  duty  to  be 

1  The  dwelling-house  of  Mr.  John  Wethered  was  entirely  consumed 
by  fire  on  the  evening  of  the  1st  day  of  February,  a.d.  1815. 


212 


GROTON. 


constantly  in  readiness  to  act  with  promptitude  and  effect  on  such  dis- 
tressing emergencies,  agree  to  form  and  procure  immediately  to  organize 
a  society  for  that  purpose,  to  be  called,  '  Groton  Fire  Club,'  and  do 
pledge  ourselves  to  comply  with  and  conform  to  all  such  rules  and  regu- 
lations, as  the  Society  may  at  any  time  adopt  to  promote  that  end. 
"  Dated  the  fourth  day  of  February,  A.D.  1815. 


James  Prescott 

Sami  Lawrance 

James  Lewis 

Abr.  Bloore 

Walter  Dickson 

Alpheus  Richardson 

David  Fletcher 

Benjamin  Moors 

Thomas  T.  Cunningham 

John  Rockwood 

"William  Farnsworth 

James  Eidgeway 

M'ni  Livermore 

George  Brigham 

Daniel  Eaton 

Joseph  F.  Hall  " 

Josiah  Billings 

Thos.  C.  Gardner  in  behalf 
of  my  father  [M.ajor 
Thomas  Gardner.] 

Levi  "SVait 

Aaron  Bancroft 

Samson  Weods 


Luther  Lawrence 
James  Brazer 
Amos  Farnsworth 
Wi"  Bancroft 
Caleb  Butler 
Amos  Lawrence 
Aaron  Lewis 
Joseph  Mansfield 
Asa  Tarbell 
Aaron  Lewis  2^ 
Asa  Graves 
Abel  Farnsworth 
Ezra  Farnsworth 
Jona    Loring 
Asa  Lawrence,  Jr. 
Luther  Woods 
John  Stebbeite 
Sami  Dana 
W'ni'childs 
Sami  Farnsworth 
£liphal<  Wheeler 
Stuart  J.  Park  " 


On  May  6,  ]872,  the  town  voted  to  build  five  reser- 
voirs, which  should  hold  4000  gallons  each.  They  were 
to  be  so  situated  as  to  give  protection  to  the  greatest 
number  of  houses  in  the  village,  with  due  regard 
to  a  sufficient  supply  of  water.  The  reservoirs  were 
placed,  respectively,  near  the  three  meeting-houses, 
the  Town-House,  and  the  High  School ;  and  they  are 
kept  full  by  the  water  which  runs  from  the  roofs  of 
these  several  buildings.  After  that  vote,  a  few  years 
later,  another  reservoir  was  placed  in  Court  Street. 


GROTON.  .        213 

Starch-Factory,  Paper-Mills,  Etc.— In  the 
spring  of  1832  the  following  act  was  passed  by  the 
General  Court  of  Massachusetts ;  and  under  the  au- 
thority of  the  enactment  a  company  was  organized  at 
Groton  for  the  manufacture  of  starch. 

A  mill  was  built  for  the  purpose  on  the  Groton  side 
of  the  Squannacook  River,  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
above  the  village  of  West  Groton,  but  the  undertak- 
ing did  not  prove  to  be  a  success.  It  stood  on  the 
site  of  the  present  paper-mill  in  that  locality;  and  the 
place  is  shown  on  Mr.  Butler's  Map  of  Groton.  It 
was  expected  that  this  new  industry  in  the  town  would 
help  the  farmers  of  the  neighborhood  by  encouraging 
the  cultivation  of  potatoes,  which  were  to  be  used  in 
making  the  article ;  but  the  scheme  was  a  failure. 

"Chap.    CXXVII. 
"  An  Act  to  incorporate  the  Dana  Manufacturing  Company." 

"  Sec.  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives,  in 
General  Court  assembled,  and  by  the  authority  of  the  same,  That  Oliver 
Sheple,  Samuel  Dana,  Samuel  Dana.  Jr.,  Oliver  Sheple,  Jr.,  James 
Dana,  and  Washington  Sheple,  their  associates  and  assigns  be,  and  they 
hereby  are  constituted  a  corporation  and  made  a  body  politic,  by  the 
name  and  style  of  the  Dana  Manufacturing  Company,  for  the  purpose 
of  manufacturing  cotton  and  woollen  goods,  iron  wares,  and  starch  from 
any  materials,  in  the  respective  towns  of  Groton  and  Shirley  in  the 
county  of  Middlesex,  and  for  this  purpose  shall  have  all  the  powers  and 
privileges,  and  be  subject  to  all  the  duties  and  requirements  contained  in 
an  act  passed  the  twenty-third  day  of  February  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty,  entitled  'an  act  defining  the  general 
powers  and  duties  of  manufacturing  corporations.' 

"  Sec.  2.  Be  it  further  enacted.  That  the  said  corporation  may  take  and 
hold  such  real  estate,  not  exceeding  in  value  the  sum  of  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  and  such  personal  estate  not  exceeding  in  value  two 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  as  may  be  suitable  and  convenient  for  carry- 
ing on  the  business  aforesaid." 

[Approved  by  the  Governor,  March  13,  1832.] 


214  GROTON. 

The  building  was  subsequently  used  as  a  paper-mill, 
and  burned  many  years  ago,  probably  during  the  sum- 
mer of  1846.  Soon  afterward  another  mill  was  erect- 
ed on  the  same  site,  which  was  bought  on  October  22, 
1852,  by  Lyman  Hollingsworth  of  Jephthah  Richard- 
son Hartwell.  The  plant  was  sold  in  1881  by  Mr. 
Hollingsworth  to  Messrs.  Hollingsworth  and  Yose,  of 
Boston,  who  still  own  it.  The  senior  partner  of  this 
firm  is  a  nephew  of  the  former  owner.  The  product 
of  the  mill  is  a  Manilla  paper  of  high  grade,  of  which 
about  three  tons  are  made  daily.  On  August  7,  1889, 
I  visited  the  mill  when  they  were  making  a  paper, 
which  is  sent  to  England  in  boxes,  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  sand-paper,  and  very  likely  to  be  returned 
here  in  that  form.  In  the  stock-houses  there  were  two 
hundred  tons  of  old  cordage,  more  or  less,  ready  to 
be  ground  up  and  used  in  connection  with  "  wood 
pulp,"  which  enters  largely  into  the  composition  of 
the  article.  Last  year  a  new  dam,  a  solid  granite 
structure  in  place  of  the  original  one,  was  built  ; 
though,  in  times  of  low  water,  steam-power  is  re- 
quired to  turn  the  machinery. 

The  direct  road  from  the  village  of  West  Groton  to 
the  paper-mill — perhaps  three  quarters  of  a  mile  in 
length — was  laid  out  by  the  county  commissioners 
on  April  18,  1838.  An  attempt  was  previously  made 
by  interested  persons,  in  the  spring  of  1832,  to  have 
the  same  piece  of  highway  built,  but  it  did  not  meet 
with  success,  as  it  was  then  adjudged  by  the  commis- 
sioners to  be  "  not  of  common  convenience  and  neces- 
sity." Of  course  the  road  was  opened  in  order  to  ac- 
commodate the  business  of  the  new  fattorv. 


GROTON. 


215 


The  paper-mill  on  the  Nashua  River,  at  the  Paper- 
Mill  Village,  was  originally  a  wooden  structure,  and 
built  in  the  year  1841  by  Oliver  Howe,  who  owned  the 
saw-mill  and  grist-mill  in  the  close  proximity  ;  and 
here  the  manufacture  of  Manilla  paper  was  carried 
on.  During  more  than  a  century  there  has  been  a 
dam  at  this  place  across  the  river,  and  in  early  times 
there  was,  also,  a  ford  known  as  the  Stony  Ford  way 
or  Stony  Wading-place.  Among  the  Massachusetts 
Archives  at  the  State  House  is  a  rough  plan,  made 
probably  about  the  year  1740,  which  gives  the  names 
of  the  bridges,  etc.,  in  this  neighborhood,  at  that 
period.  It  is  found  in  the  volume  marked  on  the  back 
"  Maps  and  Plans  "  (XVI.  6),  and  bears  the  catalogue 
number  1482. 

About  the  year  1846  the  property,  on  which  stood 
these  several  mills,  was  sold  to  the  brothers  John 
Mark  and  Lyman  Hollingsworth  ;  and  on  Sept.  1, 
1851,  Lyman  sold  his  share  to  the  other  brother,  John 
Mark,  who  rebuilt  the  paper-mill,  making  it  of  brick, 
but  the  building  was  very  soon  afterwards  burned. 
The  following  item  is  taken  from  the  Bostoii  Daily 
Journal,  Monday,  June  7, 1852  : 

"  Paper  Mill  Burnt.  We  learn  that  a  paper-mill,  dwelliug-house 
and  out-buildings  adjoining,  situated  in  Groton,  and  owned  by  Mr.  J. 
M.  Hollingsworth  were  totally  consumed  by  fire  on  Saturday  [June  5]." 

The  mill  was  at  once  rebuilt,  and  soon  again  in 
operation. 

"  4®=  J.  M.  HoUingsworth's  extensive  and  costly  paper  mills,  at  Groton 
Junction  [Paper  Mill  Village],  are  nearly  ready  to  go  into  operation. 
Mr.  H.  intends  to  manufacture  first  quality  book  paper,  employing 
about  35  hands." 

Lowell  Weekly  Journal  and  Courier,  May  20,  1853. 


216  GKOTON. 

On  March  7,  1865,  Mr.  Hollings worth,  just  before 
his  death,  on  April  6th  of  that  year,  sold  the  property 
to  his  brother  Lyman,  who  himself  died  on  April  1, 
1890 ;  and  eleven  years  later  it  was  burnt  for  the  sec- 
ond time.  The  Boston  Evening  Journal,  Friday, 
May  26,  1876,  has  the  following  account  of  the  fire : 

"  Mill  Burnt  at  Gkotox,  Mass. 
"  The  large  paper  mill  of  Lyman  Hollingsworth  at  North  [?]  Groton 
was  destroyed  by  fire  on  Thursday  afternoon  [May  25].  It  gave  em- 
ployment to  about  fifty  workmen,  and  was  valued  at  $140,000.  The  in- 
surance is  placed  in  the  following  companies  :  Etna,  Hartford,  and 
Phcenix,  of  Hartford  ;  Home  of  New  York  ;  North  British  and  Mer- 
cantile ;  Springfield  Fire  and  Marine  ;  Fire  Association  of  Philadelphia  ; 
Meriden  Fire ;  Koger  Williams  of  Providence,  and  Shawmut  of  Boston. 
It  is  divided  as  follows  :  On  mill,  $5(i.000  ;  machinery,  S24,000,  and  on 
stock,  covering  the  probable  loss,  88,000.  It  is  not  yet  known  how  the 
fire  occiirred." 

The  mill  was  again  rebuilt,  this  time  by  Lyman 
Hollingsworth,  and  the  manufacture  of  book  paper 
continued,  now  with  a  daily  product  of  about  five 
tons.  On  Dec.  13,  1881,  the  establishment  was  sold 
to  Messrs.  Tileston  and  Hollingsworth,  of  Boston, 
and  in  July,  1889,  by  them  transferred  to  the  Tiles- 
ton  &  Hollingsworth  Company,  of  Boston,  a  corpora- 
tion organized  under  the  laws  of  the  Common- 
wealth. 

At  West  Groton  there  is  a  leather-board  mill,  of 
which  the  daily  product  is  about  four  tons.  It  em- 
ploys thirty-five  men,  and  stands  on  the  site  of  a  saw^- 
mill  and  grist-mill,  which  were  built  as  early  as  the 
year  1765,  and  perhaps  earlier.  There  is  also  a  saw- 
mill on  the  Squannacook  River,  near  the  Townsend 
line,  giving  employment  to  eight  or  ten  men,  w^here 
box-shooks,  reels,  staves,  etc.,  are  made. 


GROTON.  217 

THE   GEOGRAPHY   OF   GROTOX. 

EiVERS. — In  early  times,  before  the  original  Plan-- 
tation  had  been  cut  up  in  order  to  form  other  towns, 
the  Nashua  River  flowed  through  the  township  of 
Groton  for  a  distance  of  ten  miles  or  more,  and  nearly- 
bisected  its  territory  ;  while  to-day  its  course  within 
the  town's  limits  is  hardly  more  than  three  miles. 
This  river  is  formed  by  the  union  of  two  branches, 
known  respectively  as  the  North  Branch  and  the 
South  Branch,  which  come  together  at  Lancaster. 
The  former  has  its  source  in  Ashburnham,  near  the 
foot  of  the  Watatuck  Mountain,  and  in  Westminster, 
and  passes  through  Fitchburg  and  Leominster;  while 
the  latter  rises  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Wachusett 
Mountain,  at  Princeton,  and  among  the  hills  of  Rut- 
land and  Holden,  and  passes  through  West  Boylston 
and  Clinton.  Both  these  branches  for  a  considerable 
distance  above  their  confluence  are  known  also  as  the 
Nashua.  The  stream  at  Groton  is  about  one  hundred 
feet  above  tide-water. 

At  a  very  early  period  the  Nashua  River  was  some- 
times called  the  Penacook,  and  at  other  times  the 
Groton  River.  In  Thomas  Noyes's  survey  of  the 
grant  of  Major  Simon  Willard's  farm,  in  the  autumn 
of  1659,  the  land  is  described  as  "  lying  and  being  for 
the  most  part  on  the  east  side  of  Groaten  Riuer." 
And  again,  at  the  session  beginning  on  Sept.  6, 1676, 
the  approval  of  the  General  Court  was  given  to  Jona- 
than Danforth's  survey  of  lands  laid  out  to  William 
Hauthorne,  "  lying  in  the  wilderness;  on  the  North 
of  Groaten  Riuer  at  a  place  called  by  the  Indians 
Wistequassuck,"  now  within  the  limits  of  Townsend. 


218  GROTOX. 

At  a  later  period  it  was  more  frequently  referred  to  as 
the  Lancaster  River;  and  it  is  likely  that  the  stream 
bore  diflferent  names  in  different  towns  along  its 
course  even  at  the  same  time.  In  the  record  of  "  The 
lands  of  Mr.  Samuell  Willard,  which  is  layd  out  to 
him  in  the  towne  of  Grotten,"  on  Sept.  29, 1680,  ref- 
erence is  made  to  the  Nashawag  River — another  form 
of  spelling. 

The  Squannacook  River  forms  the  divisional  line 
with  Shirley  for  perhaps  four  miles,  which  is  the  whole 
distance  of  contact  with  that  town.  This  stream 
rises  in  Ashby  and  flows  through  Townsend  and  by 
West  Groton,  emptying  into  the  Nashua.  The  name 
is  found  in  the  Proprietors'  records  as  early  as  the 
spring  of  1684. 

PoxDS. — Baddacook  Pond — lies  about  two  miles 
from  the  village,  near  the  Lowell  Road.  It  covers  an 
area  of  103  acres,  and  is  the  largest  pond  in  the 
town.  It  is  mentioned  in  the  record  of  James  Par- 
ker's land  under  the  date  of  July  6, 1666. 

Outlet :  Baddacook  Brook,  which  flows  into  Cow 
Pond. 

Cady  Pond — a  small  and  deep  pond,  covering  per- 
haps two  acres,  lying  less  than  a  mile  from  the  village 
in  a  southeasterly  direction,  near  the  Boston  Road. 
It  was  named  after  Nicholas  Cady,  one  of  the  early 
settlers,  who  owned  land  in  the  neighborhood.  This 
pond  and  Flat  Pond,  both  very  small,  are  the  only 
ones  in  the  town  whose  waters  ultimately  reach  the 
Nashua  River. 

Outlet:  a  small  unnamed  brook  running  south- 
westerly into  James'  Brook. 


GROTON.  219 

Cow  Powc?— sometimes  called  Whitney's  Pond,  in 
the  easterly  part  of  the  town,  covering  an  area  of 
seventy-one  acres.  Cow  Pond  Meadow  is  mentioned 
in  the  record  of  Ralph  Reed's  land  before  the  year 
1664. 

Outlet :  Cow  Pond  Brook,  which  flows  into  Massa- 
poag  Pond. 

Duck  Pond— near  the  Ridges,  east  of  Knop's  Pond, 
and  separated  from  it  by  a  ridge  only— lies  perhaps 
half  a  mile  south  of  Cow  Pond.  It  covers  fifty-five 
acres,  and  has  no  outlet. 

Flat  Pond— 2.  small  sheet  of  water  near  the  Throne, 
in  the  west  part  of  the  town. 

Outlet :  a  small  unnamed  brook  into  the  Squanna- 
cook  River. 

Half- Moon  Potid—Si  small  pond  in  the  upper  part  of 
the  meadow,  which  lies  south  of  the  Hillside  Road. 

Knop's  Pond— near  the  Ridges,  west  of  Duck  Pond, 
and  is  of  the  same  size  as  that  pond,  covering  fifty- 
five  acres.  So  called  from  James  Knapp,  or  Knop, 
an  early  settler  who  owned  land  in  the  neighborhood. 

Outlet :    a  brook  into  Cow  Pond. 

Long  Pond — lies  on  the  southern  border  of  the 
town,  partly  in  Groton,  but  mostly  in  Ayer,  covering 
forty -five  acres. 

Outlet:    a  brook  into  Sandy  Pond. 

Martin's  Pond— nesir  the  foot  of  Gibbet  Hill,  on  its 
northeasterly  side— covers  sixteen  and  two-thirds 
acres;  it  was  named  after  William  Martin,  an  early 
settler.  In  the  record  of  James  Parker's  land,  on 
July  6,  1666,  ''the  pond  called  Goodman  Martin's 
Pond,"  is  mentioned.     The  following  article,  found 


220  GROTON. 

in  the  warrant  for  the  town-meeting  held  on  Septem- 
ber 17,  1792,  seems  to  show  that  the  outlet  of  the 
pond  was  formerly  through  Hog  Swamp  and  Half- 
Moon  Meadow  into  James's  Brook,  though  there  is 
now  no  other  evidence  to  confirm  this  view  : 

•*  Art.  8.  To  see  if  the  town  will  order  the  water  running  from  Mar- 
tin's Pond  to  be  turned  into  the  old  Channel  as  it  formerly  used  to  run, 
through  the  Town,  and  appoint  some  proper  person  or  persons  to  remove 
the  obstructions  and  Effect  the  Business." 

In  the  proceedings  of  the  meeting,  it  is  recorded 
that  this  article  was  "  Past  in  the  ^N'egative."  A 
measurement  of  the  pond  was  lately  made,  when 
frozen  over,  which  proves  it  to  be  much  smaller  than 
it  was  half  a  century  ago. 

Outlet:  Martin's  Pond  Brook  into  the  outlet  of 
Knop's  Pond,  half-way  between  that  pond  and  Cow 
Pond. 

Massapoag  Fond — on  the  easterly  border  of  the 
town,  but  lies  mostly  in  Dunstable  and  Tyngsborough, 
covering  an  area  of  fifty-dx  acres.  It  is  now  used  as 
a  storage  basin  of  water  by  the  Vale  Mills  Manu- 
facturing Company,  of  Xashua,  New  Hampshire,  and 
in  dry  seasons  it  is  drawn  upon  for  a  supply. 

Outlet:  Salmon  Brook,  which  empties  into  the 
Merrimack  River  at  Nashua. 

Springy  Pond — a  small  sheet  of  water  connected 
with  Knop's  Pond  by  a  brook. 

Wattle's  Pond — three  miles  north  of  the  village,  on 
the  road  to  East  Pepperell,  with  no  outlet.  The  origin 
of  the  name  is  unknown  ;  but  perhaps  from  Wattle, 
"  a  rod  laid  on  a  roof  for  the  purpose  of  supporting 
the  thatch."  Many  of  the  houses  of  the  early  settlers 
were  thatched. 


GROTON.  221 

The  area  of  the  ponds,  with  the  exception  of 
Martin's  Pond,  is  taken  from  the  Fourth  Annual 
Report  of  the  State  Board  of  Health  of  Massachu- 
setts (January,  1873),  as  ^iven  on  pages  124  and  125. 

A  story  is  told  relative  to  Massapoag  Pond,  based 
on  tradition,  which  probably  has  no  real  foundation. 
It  is  said  that — 

"Its  outlet  was  on  the  easterly  side, and  as  it  was  the  reservoir  into 
which  Cowpond  brook  poured  its  waters,  a  considerable  mill-stream  is- 
sued from  it.  The  waters  passed  without  any  rapids  for  a  considerable 
distance,  affording  no  favorable  site  for  a  mill.  The  north  end  of  the 
pond  was  bounded  by  a  ridge  of  loose  sand,  rising  but  little  above  the 
surface  of  the  water,  and  being  about  six  rods  only  in  width  ;  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  which  was  a  descent  of  about  forty  feet.  Here,  then,  was 
an  eligible  spot  for  an  overshot  mill.  At  a  town-meeting  held  May  21, 
IGS^a  grant  was  made  to  Samuel  Adams  of  a  small  pond  near  Buck 
meadow,  and  leave  given  to  drain  it  by  a  brook  running  into  '  Tyng's 
cove.'  At  the  same  meeting,  for  the  encouragement  of  any  who  would 
set  up  iron-works  at  Massapoag,  a  grant  was  offered  of  the  wood,  on  the 
easterly  side  of  Unquetenassett  brook.  It  is  said  that  Adams,  who  is 
supposed  to  have  accepted  the  grant,  erected  a  grist-mill  at  the  site'above 
mentioned,  conducting  the  water  across  the  sand-bank  to  the  flume  of 
his  mill.  At  the  time  of  a  flood  about  the  year  1700  (the  precise  time  is 
not  known),  a  breach  was  made  across  the  sand-bank,  and  it  being  very 
loose  and  moveable,  the  whole  bank  was  soon  torn  down  by  the  water 
to  the  depth  of  more  than  thirty  feet ;  and  consequently  a  sheet  of  water 
of  that  depth,  where  the  pond  was  so  deep,  and  where  of  less  depth  the 
whole  water  upon  the  surface,  flowed  suddenly  off  (all  in  one  night), 
with  irresistible  violence.  The  mill,  of  course,  was  demolished,  and  the 
stones,  though  diligently  sought  for,  and  even  the  skill  of  the  famous 
Moll  Pitcher,  of  Lynn,  employed  in  the  search,  have  never  yet  been 
found.  The  bottom  of  the  pond  being  uneven,  fish  in  abundance  were 
left  in  the  cavities,  which  were  easily  taken,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the 
neighboring  towns,  as  well  as  of  Groton,  came  and  carried  off  loads  ot 
them.  Where  the  water  formerly  issued  from  the  pond,  a  small  brook 
now  runs  in,  and  the  outlet  is,  at  the  place  of  disruption,  called  the 
'gulf.'  The  water  finds  its  way  into  the  old  channel,  two  or  three 
miles  from  the  pond,  in  a  northwesterly  direction  from  Dunstable  meet- 
ing-house." 

[Butler's  History  of  Groton,  pages  246,  247J. 


222  GROTON. 

The  name  of  Buck  Meadow,  which  has  been  in  use 
for  more  than  two  centuries,  is  firmly  established, 
and  the  site  well  known.  The  -meadow  lies  near 
Lovewell's  Pond,  formerly  within  the  limits  of  Groton, 
but  now  in  Nashua;  and  Adams's  mill  stood  undoubt- 
edly at  the  outlet  of  this  pond,  where  there  is  a 
small  water-power.  This  theory  would  tally  with  the 
town  records ;  and  furthermore  a  tradition  is  still  ex- 
tant that  there  w^as  once  a  mill  in  the  neighborhood. 
Lovewell's  Pond  is  much  smaller  than  Massapoag, 
and  at  that  time  probably  had  no  designation.  It 
was  named  after  Captain  John  Lovewell,  who  was 
killed  by  the  Indians  on  May  8, 1725.  The  following 
is  the  entry  in  the  records  :  ^ 

"May  :  21.  1688.     The   inhabitants  of   Groton    Granted  to    Samull 
Adams  y«  pond  that  lyes  neare  buck  medow  which  hath  its  outlet  into 
the  medow  known  by  ye  name  of  Tyngs  Couee,  and  the  swampy  land 
adioyeng  ther  to  prouided  y^  sd  land  do  not  exceed  fifteen  accers  ; 
"  atest ;  Josiah  Pahker  Clarke 

and  sd  adams  hath  liberty  to  drean  the  s^  pond  at  ye  small  brook  that 
runes  in  to  Tyng'sCoue  prouided  sd  Adames  macks  good  all  dameges  that 
shall  be  don  ther  by  " 

There  are  now  three  small  brooks  running  into 
Massapoag  Pond  on  the  easterly  side,  and  their  fall 
is  too  great  for  any  one  of  them  ever  to  have  been  the 
old  outlet  to  the  pond.  Furthermore,  it  would  have 
been  impossible  for  any  of  these  brooks  to  drain  the 
pond  (which  even  at  the  present  time  covers  fifty-six 
acres)  without  causing  too  great  damage  for  Adams  to 
make  good.  There  is  no  indication  along  their  banks 
that  they  have  been  much  larger  streams  than  they  are 
to-day.  While  the  formation  of  the  banks  at  the 
mouth  of  the  pond,  or  the  "  gulf,"  so  called,  is  pecu- 


.      GROTON.  223 

liar,  there  are  no  signs  that  the  water-line  was  ever 
any  higher  than  it  is  at  the  present  time.  None  of 
the  local  antiquaries  are  able  to  identify  Tyng's  Cove, 
which  is  a  name  undoubtedly  derived  from  Jonathan 
Tyng,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Dunstable. 

At  the  same  town-meeting,  held  on  May  21,  1688, 
the  inhabitants  of  Groton — 

"  Deed  then  b}'  the  maior  uoat  grant  for  the  incoregment  of  such  men 
as  will  set  up  loran  works  at  masabog  pond  ;  that  thay  shall  haue  y«  ues 
&  improument  of  the  woods  and  timbr  yt  is  now  common  one  the  est  sid 
of  uncuttanaset  brook  and  so  to  nashua  riuer  and  groton  line  est  wai'd  & 
south  ward  to  good  man  greens'  masabog  medow.    .     .     ," 

I  give  this  extract  from  the  town  records  in  ord^r  to 
show  that  the  inhabitants  at  that  period  knew  the 
pond  by  its  present  name ;  and  if  they  had  seen  fit 
then  to  grant  Adams  any  special  privilege  connected 
with  it,  they  would  have  called  it  *'Massapoag,"  and 
would  not  have  said  "  y^  pond  that  lyes  neare  buck 
medow." 

Hills. — Barralock  Hill — is  mentioned  in  the  record 
of  Samuel  Woods'  lands  ;  but  I  am  unable  to  identify 
it.  Perhaps  it  is  the  hill  due  north  of  Baddacook 
Pond. 

Brown  Loaf  Hill — commonly  called  Brown  Loaf — 
is  a  handsome,  symmetrical  hill  standing  alone,  more 
than  a  mile  from  the  village,  near  the  Lowell  road. 
Brown  Loaf  Hill  Meadow  is  mentioned  in  the  descrip- 
tion of  Joseph  Parker's  lands,  December  2, 1664,  which 
would  imply  that  the  hill  was  so  named  before  ihat 
time.  Brown  Loaf  Hill  is  also  mentioned  in  the 
record  of  James  Parker's  lands  made  on  July  6,  1666; 
and  Brownloafe  Playne  and  Brownloaf  Hill  are  given 
in  the  record  of  James  Fisk's  lands  in  John  Morse's 


224  GROTON. 

handwriting,  of  which  the  date  is  absent,  but  which 
was  certainly  made  at  a  very  early  period.  The 
height  of  the  hill  is  448  feet  above  mean  tide  on  the 
coast  line. 

Chestnut  Hills — the  range  lying  northerly  of  Mar- 
tin's Pond ;  so  called  from  the  abundant  growth  of 
chestnut-trees  on  its  sides.  The  highest  hills  in  the 
town,  their  greatest  elevation  being  544  feet. 

Clay-Pit  Hill — the  small  hill  at  the  corner  of  the 
East  Pepperell  road  and  Break  Neck. 

Gibbet  Hill — a  noted  landmark  overlooking  the  vil- 
lage on  its  easterly  side.  It  is  mentioned  in  the  land- 
grant  of  Sergeant  James  Parker,  which  was  entered  in 
the  town  records  of  Richard  Sawtell,  the  first  town 
clerk  \vho  filled  the  office  from  June,  1662,  to  Jan- 
uary, 1664-65.  The  tradition  is  that  the  hill  was  so 
called  from  the  fact  that  once  an  Indian  was  gibbeted 
on  its  top.  If  this  ever  occurred,  it  must  have  hap- 
pened before  Sawtell's  term  of  oflice.  The  town  was 
incorporated  by  the  General  Court  on  May  25,  1655, 
but  no  public  records  are  known  to  have  been  kept 
before  June  23,  1662.     Its  height  is  516  feet. 

Horse  Hill — in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town,  near 
Massapoag  Pond.  It  lies  partly  in  Dunstable,  and  is 
covered  with  woods. 

Indian  Hill,  or  Hills — the  range  beginning  near 
James's  Brook,  a  mile  south  of  the  village,  and  run- 
ning in  an  easterly  direction  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Great  Eoad  to  Boston.  The  height  is  524  feet  above 
mean  tide.  ^ 

Naumox — a  low  hill  or  ridge  a  short  distance  west 
of  the  road  to  East  Pepperell,  near  the  Longley  mon- 


GROTOX.  225 

ument,  and  runniDg  parallel  with  the  road.  The 
name  is  also  used  in  connection  with  the  neighbor- 
hood. 

Prospect  mil— very  near  Cady  Pond,  and  east  of 
it ;  perhaps  250  feet  or  more  above  the  Nashua,  and 
503  feet  above  mean  tide. 

Bidge  Ifill,  or  The  Ridr/es— the  name  of  a  peculiar 
ridge,  three  miles  southeasterly  from  the  village, 
along  which  the  Great  Road  runs.  It  also  gave  the 
name  to  a  tavern  formerly  kept  in  the  immediate 
neighborhood. 

Bocky  Hill— there  are  two  hills  of  this  name,  one 
lying  northeasterly  of  Baddacook  Pond,  near  the  old 
District  School- house  No.  VIII.  (now  the  Trowbridge 
School),  which  is  also  known  as  the  Rocky  Hill 
School,  and  the  other  situated  in  the  southeast  part 
of  the  town,  between  Long  Pond  and  the  Ridges.  A 
visit  to  either  of  these  hills  will  show  why  it  was  so 
called. 

Sandy  mil— a.  small  elevation  on  the  road  to  East 
Pepperell,  below  the  Longley  monument,  near  the 
place  where  the  Nashua  road  branches  off. 

Shepley  Bill— lies  west  of  the  East  Pepperell  road, 
near  Naumox.  The  name  is  rarely  heard  now' 
though  it  was  in  use  as  far  back  as  February  28^ 
1670,— evidently  so  called  from  the  Shepley  family. 

Snake  mill— in  the  south  part  of  the  town,  but 
lies  mostly  in  Ayer.  Rattlesnakes  have  been  killed 
on  it  within  the  memory  of  the  present  generation. 
Its  height  is  497  feet. 

The  Throne— a  high  hill   in    the   western   part  of 
the  town,  on  the  summit  of  which  is  a  level  field  of 
15 


226  GROTON. 

perhaps  sixty  acres,  containing  a  small  pond, — near 
the  Townsend  line.  A  map  of  Groton  resembles  a 
tea-kettle,  the  portion  west  of  the  Nashua  River 
forming  the  spout,  and  the  Throne  comes  in  the 
spout.     It  is  484  feet  high. 

Meadows. — The  early  settlers  of  Groton,  accord- 
ing to  the  town  records,  had  many  parcels  of  meadow 
allotted  to  them  in  the  assignment  of  land.  Sergeant 
James  Parker  owned  in  twenty  diflferent  meadows, 
and  the  other  settlers  also  were  large  owners.  It  is 
probable  that  they  did  not  attach  the  same  significa- 
tion to  the  word  "  meadow"  which  now  belongs  to  it 
in  Xew  England,  where  it  means  low,  swampy  land, 
without  regard  to  the  mowing.  They  called  by  this 
name  all  grass-land  that  was  annually  mown  for  hay, 
and  especially  that  by  the  side  of  a  river  or  brook ; 
and  this  meaning  of  the  word  was  and  still  is  the 
common  one  in  England,  whence  they  brought  their 
language.  They  sometimes  spoke  of  a  "swamp," 
meaning  by  it  what  we  call  a  "bog;"  but  much  of 
this  kind  of  land  has  since  been  reclaimed,  and  is 
now  known  as  "meadow."  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it 
happened  that  the  lands  which  could  be  mown  for 
the  fodder  were  low  lands;  and  it  would  require  per- 
haps less  than  a  generation  to  transfer  the  meaning 
of  mowing  lands  to  the  low  lands,  which  were  nearly 
the  only  ones  that  could  be  mown  in  the  early  days 
of  the  Colony.  This  explanation  will  make  clear  the 
following  vote  of  the  town,  passed  on  February  18> 
1680-81 : 

"At  the  same  meeting  it  was  agreed  vpon  and  voted  that  M^  Hubberd 
should  haue  all  the  comon  which  was  capable  to  mak  medow  in  swan 


GROTON.  227 

pond  medow  vp  to  the  vpland  for  seauen  acre  and  a  halfe  for  to  mak 
vp  his  fifteen  acres  of  medow." 

The  following  names  of  meadows  are  found  in  the 
town  records,  and  in  a  few  instances  I  have  indicated 
their  locality : 

Accident ;  Angle,  in  the  northerly  part  of  the 
town ;  Big  Spring,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Hawtree 
Brook ;  Broad,  immediately  west  of  the  village  ; 
Brook;  Brown  Loaf,  east  of  the  hill;  Buck,  now 
lying  within  the  limits  of  Nashua,  New  Hampshire ; 
Burnt,  in  the  vicinity  of  Baddacook  Pond;  Cow 
Pond,  near  the  pond  of  that  name;  East;  Ferney, 
near  Brown  Loaf;  Flaggy,  to  the  southward  of  the 
Baddacook  road,  near  the  pond ;  Flax ;  Great 
Flaggy,  presumably  near  Flaggy,  and  perhaps  the 
same;  Great  Half-Moon,  the  same  as  Half-Moon, 
which  lies  east  of  the  village  ;  Little  Buck,  probably 
a  part  of  Buck  Meadow ;  Little  Half-Moon,  a  part 
of  Half-Moon,  being  an  offshoot  from  it;  Lodge; 
Long;  Maple;  Massapoag,  evidently  near  Massapoag 
Pond;  New  Angle;  Pine;  Plain;  Pretty;  Provi- 
dence; Quasoponagon,  "on  the  other  sid  of  the 
riuer,"  near  the  Ked  Bridge,  through  which  Wrang- 
ling Brook  runs ;  Reedy,  known  by  this  name  to-day, 
lying  north  of  the  Reedy  Meadow  Road ;  Rock, 
south  of  Snake  Hill  ;  Sallo,  perhaps  Sallow,  a  kind 
of  willow ;  Sedge ;  Skull,  through  which  Unqueten- 
assett  Brook  runs,  near  the  Dunstable  line ;  Sledge, 
north  of  Reedy  Meadow,  near  the  Sledges ;  South  ; 
South  Brook  ;  Spang ;  Spot ;  Spring ;  Spruce ; 
Swamp;  Swan  Pond;  and  Weavers. 

In  the  record  of  Daniel  Pearse's  land,  by  William 


228  GROTOX. 

Longley,  town  clerk,  on  July  6,  1666,  reference  is 
made  to  the  "  iland  lying  within  the  meadow  called 
Litle  Halfe  Moone  Meadow."  This  land  now  be- 
longs to  Governor  Boutwell,  and  there  is  upon  it  a 
small  knoll  which  is  always  spoken  of  as  the  island, 
undoubtedly  a  survival  of  the  expression  applied  to  it 
when  more  or  less  surrounded  by  w^ater. 

Brooks. —  Cold  Spring  Brook — a  small  brook,  rising 
in  Cold  Spring  "  on  y*  Left  hand  of  the  high  way 
that  goe  to  Eeedy  medow."  It  runs  across  the  Nashua 
road,  the  East  Pepperell  road,  through  Hazen  Swamp 
and  Libby  Lobby  Moat,  into  the  Nashua  River. 

Cow  Pond  Brook — has  its  source  in  Cow^  Pond 
Meadows  and  Cow  Pond,  and  empties  into  Massapoag 
Pond.  Formerly  there  was  a  dam  between  the  mead- 
ows and  the  pond,  where  there  was  a  saw-mill ;  and 
later  on  the  same  site  a  paper-mill,  which  disappeared 
about  thirty-five  years  ago. 

Gift  Brook — in  the  north  part  of  the  town,  rises  in 
Gift  Meadow,  crosses  Chicopee  Row,  and  empties  into 
Unquetenassett  Brook. 

Jameses  Brook — one  of  the  longest  brooks  within  the 
limits  of  the  town.  It  takes  its  rise  in  Half-Moon 
Meadow,  crosses  Main  Street  in  the  village,  and  runs 
southerly  and  w^esterly  for  three  or  four  miles  into  the 
Nashua  River.  At  its  mouth  is  the  beginning  of  the 
line  separating  the  town  of  Ayer  from  Groton.  For- 
merly there  was  a  tannery  on  the  banks  of  the  brook, 
near  Indian  Hill,  known  as  Dix's  tannery;  and  a  mile 
below,  on  land  of  the  late  Benjamin  Moors,  east  of  the 
road,  at  one  time  there  was  a  mill, — but  now  no  traces 
of  either  are  left,  except  some  remains  of  the  mill- 


GROTO^\  229 

dam.  The  stream  took  its  name  from  an  Indian, 
who  was  a  famous  hunter  and  trapper  in  very  early 
times.  It  empties  into  the  Nashua  River,  nearly- 
opposite  to  the  mouth  of  the  Squannacook. 

Hawtree  Brook — in  the  northerly  part  of  the  town, 
near  Chicopee  Eow  ;  after  it  unites  with  Walnut  Run 
and  two  or  three  other  small  streams,  it  forms  Unque- 
tenassett  Brook.  In  the  early  records  of  the  town  the 
Hawtrees  are  frequently  spoken  of,  which  refer  to  the 
neighborhood  of  this  brook. 

Nod  BrooJc — rises  near  the  Soapstone  Quarry,  crosses 
the  Nod  road,  and  runs  into  the  Nashua  River. 

Reedy  Meadow  Brook — rises  in  Reedy  Meadow  and 
flows  northerly,  emptying  into  the  Nashua  River 
below  East  Pepperell.  It  is  sometimes  called  John- 
son's Brook. 

Sedge  Brook — a  small  brook  from  Sedge  Meadow, 
running  into  Reedy  Meadow  Brook. 

Tuity  Brook — contracted  from  Gratuity — a  very 
small  stream  which  rises  near  the  head  of  Farmers' 
Row  and  runs  through  Hazle  Grove  into  the  Nashua 
River  below  Fitch's  Bridge. 

Unquetenassett  Brook  —  often  called  Unkety  —  A 
stream  formed  by  the  union  of  Walnut  Run,  Haw- 
tree Brook,  and  one  or  two  small  tributaries,  and  run- 
ning northerly  through  Skull  Meadow  and  that  part 
of  Dunstable  formerly  Groton  into  the  Nashua. 

Walnut  Run — a  brook  issuing  from  the  sides  of 
Chestnut  Hills  and  uniting  with  Hawtree  Brook  and 
one  or  two  other  streams,  forms  the  Unquetenassett. 

Also  the  name  of  a  place — perhaps  it  was  the  mouth 
of  a  stream — on  the  Nashua  River  where  in  olden 


2:30  GROTOX 

times  there  was  a  bridge.     It  stood  farther  up   the 
river  than  Fitch's  Bridge. 

Wrangling  Brooh — in  West  Groton,  a  mile  and  a 
half  in  length — meanders  through  Quasoponagon 
Meadow,  and  then  empties  into  the  Xashua  a  short 
distance  below  the  Red  Bridge. 

Roads. — Baddacook  Pond  Road — a  continuation 
of  the  Martin's  Pond  Road  to  the  neighborhood  of 
the  pond. 

Break  Neck — the  short  strip  of  road  from  the  East 
Pepperell  road  to  Common  Street,  south  of  the  soap- 
stone  quarry. 

Chicopee  Row — running  north  for  three  miles  from 
the  Cemetery.  The  district  to  which  it  leads  is 
known  as  Chicopee,  a  name  given  long  ago. 

Farmers'  Row—  applied  to  the  road  on  the  height 
of  land  west  of  the  village.  It  begins  at  the  west  end 
of  Pleasant  Street,  and  runs  in  a  southerly  direction 
for  two  miles,  passing  by  the  GrotoH  School. 

Great  Road — one  of  the  principal  thoroughfares 
between  Boston  and  parts  of  New  Hampshire  and 
Vermont.  The  section  of  the  road  through  the  vil- 
lage is  known  as  Main  Street. 

Hillside  Road — the  highway  along  the  southern 
slope  of  the  Indian  Hills. 

Love  Lane — the  highway  from  the  Lowell  Road, 
near  the  First  Parish  Meeting-house,  to  the  Great 
Road  near  Cady  Pond. 

Martin's  Pond  Road — the  highway  from  the  site 
of  the  first  meeting-house  to  the  neighborhood  of  the 
pond,  where  it  becomes  the  Baddacook  Pond  Road. 

Reedy  Meadow  Road — from  the  Nashua  road  to 
Chicopee  Row,  immediately  south  of  Reedy  Meadow. 


GROTON.  231 

Squash  Path — through  the  woods  from  the  East 
Pepperell  road  to  the  Nashua  road — a  short  distance 
beyond  Cold  Spring  Brook. 

Tuity  Road — a  contraction  of  Gratuity  Road — the 
road  leading  to  Fitch's  Bridge  from  the  Great  Road 
near  the  railroad  bridge,  half  a  mile  north  of  the  village. 
The  name  had  its  origin  in  the  early  history  of  the 
town,  when  grants  of  land  were  made  to  the  inhabit- 
ants as  gratuities.  Tuity  Brook,  a  very  small  stream, 
crosses  this  road  and  empties  into  the  Nashua  River, 
below  Fitch's  Bridge. 

Miscellaneous. — Brickyard — on  the  north  side 
of  the  Great  Road,  about  a  mile  from  the  First  Parish 
Meeting-house.  It  was  much  used  during  the  last 
century ;  and  probably  was  the  place  where  the  bricks 
were  made  for  the  parsonage,  as  mentioned  in  the 
town-records,  June  20,  1706.  Only  a  few  traces  of  it 
are  now  left,  though  a  clump  of  elms  by  the  road- 
side is  a  good  guide  to  the  site. 

Brown  Loaf  Plain — to  the  west  of  Brown  Loaf. 

Community — the  name  of  a  district  or  neighbor- 
hood beyond  the  Groton  School,  where  many  of  the 
residents  formerly  held  similar  religious  views.  It 
had  its  origin  nearly  fifty  years  ago,  when  the  Sec- 
ond Adventists,  or  "Millerites,"  gave  up  their  regu- 
lar services  in  the  village. 

Dead  River — the  old  course  of  the  Nashua  River, 
around  the  island  which  was  formed  by  the  cutting 
through  of  the  "  neck." 

Deep  Soil — in  the  neighborhood  of  the  race-course, 
in  Hazle  Grove;  so-called  on  the  lucus  a  non  lucendo 
principle. 


232  GEOTOX. 

Fitch's  Bridge — over  the  Nashua  Eiver,  a  mile  and 
a  quarter  below  the  Red  Bridge. 

General  Field — often  mentioned  in  the  early  town, 
records,  refers  to  land  owned  in  severalty  by  the  pro- 
prietors of  Groton,  who  kept  it  as  one  field,  for  rea- 
sons not  now  understood.  It  was  upland,  and  lay  in 
the  southwest  part  of  the  town,  near  the  river.  It 
appears  to  have  been  allotted  to  the  proprietors,  ac- 
cording to  the  number  of  acre-rights  which  each  one 
owned.  Perhaps  it  was  land  already  cleared  when 
the  first  settlers  came. 

The  Gift — a  parcel  of  land  near  Reedy  Meadow, 
in  the  north  part  of  the  town. 

TJie  Hawtrees — mentioned  several  times  in  the  early 
records,  and  referring,  doubtless,  to  some  native 
shrubs  or  trees ;  for  instance,  Zachery  Sawtell  had 
meadow-land  "  Xeare  the  hawtrees  "  confirmed  to  him 
on  November  18, 1670.  It  evidently  became  the  name 
of  a  limited  district  or  neighborhood  in  the  north  part 
of  the  town,  and  from  it  undoubtedly  Hawtree  Brook 
was  named.  The  late  Professor  Asa  Gray,  the  distin- 
guished botanist,  wrote  me  that  there  are  three  or  four 
species  of  wild  hawthorn  in  Massachusetts.  He  says : 
"  One  of  the  forms  of  the  Black  or  Pear  Thorn  {Cra- 
tcegus  tomentosa)  would  be  the  likeliest  for  Groton,  of 
perhaps  the  Cockspur  Thorn.  The  former  has  the 
more  edible  fruit,  and  would  be  sure  to  attract  atten- 
tion." 

Hazen  Swamp — near  the  mouth  of  Cold  Spring 
Brook. 

Ifazle  Grove — the  neighborhood  of  the  east  bank  of 
the  Nashua  River  above  Fitch's  Bridge. 


•  GROTON.  233 

HicJcss  Hole— 2.  small  piece  of  meadow,  lying  north 
of  Eeedy  Meadow. 

High  Plain— on  the  north  side  of  the  Baddacook 
road,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  pond.  It  lies  in  the 
angle  of  the  roads,  west  of  the  house  of  John  John- 
son, Jr.,  as  laid  down  on  the  map  of  Groton,  made 
from  a  survey  during  the  years  1828  and  1829. 

Hog  Swamp— \y\ng  between  the  westerly  side  ot 
Martin's  Pond  and  Martin's  Poad  Road.  Governor 
BoutwelFs  private  way  to  the  Chestnut  Hills  passes 
through  it. 

Hoyfs  Wharf— t\i%  name  of  a  place  on  Cow  Pond 
Brook  where  one  Hoyt  formerly  kept  his  boat.  It 
W^s  near  the  house  of  Samuel  Hazen, — as  laid  down 
on  the  map  of  Groton,  made  from  a  survey  during  the 
years  1828  and  1829,— nearly  a  mile  north  of  Cow  Pond. 

The  Island— a.  small,  though  prominent,  hill  in  the 
meadow  south  of  Hillside  Pvoad ;  undoubtedly  once 
surrounded  by  water. 

Jamaica— the  name  of  a  small  patch  of  meadow 
behind  the  hills  on  the  west  side  of  Chicopee  Row. 

Libby  Lobby  iVoat-^he\ow  the  Ox  Bow,  opening  into 
the  Nashua  River.  This  word  is  probably  another 
form  of  Loblolly,  in  use  at  the  South,  and  denoting 
wet  land. 

Lily  Moat— on  the  east  side  of  the  Nashua  and 
south  of  the  road,  near  the  Red  Bridge. 

Madagascar— the,  name  of  the  district  where  the 
paper-mill  formerly  stood  on  the  brook,  between  Cow 
Pond  and  Knop's  Pond. 

Nod— the  district  lying  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  four  corners,  below  the  soapstone  quarry.     The 


234  GROTON. 

road  from  the  Hollingsworth  Paper-mills  to  this  place 
is  called  the  Nod  "Road. 

Ox  Bow — the  bend  of  the  Nashua  River,  in  the 
northerly  part  of  the  town,  below  the  Lawrence  pas- 
ture. 

Paugus  Hole — in  Paugus  Brook,  on  the  west  side  of 
Brown  Loaf,  where,  it  is  said,  the  body  of  Paugus's 
descendant,  who  came  to  kill  Chamberlain,  was  sunk, 
after  he  himself  was  killed. 

Pine  Plain — probably  near  the  Nashua  Eiver,  and 
perhaps  on  the  westerly  side.  In  December,  1673, 
Joseph  Morse  had  meadow-lands  on  the  Pine  Plain, 
"neare  the  fordway." 

Punch  Bowl — one  of  several  natural  depressions 
near  the  Lowell  road,  below  Brown  Loaf.  The  name 
is  also  applied  to  the  neighborhood. 

Red  Bridge — over  the  Nashua-  River,  on  the  road 
to  West  Groton. 

Sledges — the  name  of  a  meadow  northeast  of  Reedy 
Meadow,  mentioned  in  the  early  records,  where  John 
Lakin  owned  land.  Mr.  Butler,  in  his  History  (page 
273),  says  that  "this  word  seems  to  signify  strips  of 
meadow  or  parcels  of  low  lands  abounding  in  iron 
ore."  Bog-iron  is  found  in  that  quarter  of  the  town, 
and  in  old  times  was  worked  by  a  company  formed 
for  that  purpose. 

Sodom — the  district  in  the  northwest  part  of  the 
town,  near  the  Townsend  line.  The  name  refers  to 
the  quality  of  the  soil,  and  not  to  the  character  of  the 
inhabitants. 

Squannacook — an  Indian  word — the  old  name  of 
West  Groton, — applied  to  the  river  passing  by  that 
village. 


GROTON.  235 

Stony  Fordway,  or  Wadlng-Place — near  the  site  of 
the  HoHiDgsworth  Paper-mills,  on  the  Nashua  River, 
a  mile  and  a  half  northwesterly  of  the  village. 

Swill  Bridge — was  between  the  homesteads  of  Eber 
Woods,  Jr.,  and  Joel  Davis, — as  given  on  Mr.  Butler's 
map  of  Groton,  from  a  survey  made  in  the  years  1828 
and  1829, — a  short  distance  west  of  the  present  rail- 
road bridge.  Originally  it  was  a  causeway,  perhaps 
twenty  rods  in  length,  over  the  southerly  end  of 
Broad  Meadow,  though  now  it  is  a  solid  road. 

Thomas  TarbelVs  Fordway — was  between  where  the 
Red  Bridge  now  stands  and  Fitch's  Bridge,  which 
is  a  mile  and  a  quarter  below. 

Tobacco  Pipe  Plain — on  both  sides  of  the  road 
from  the  Ridges  to  Sandy  Pond,  near  Rocky  Hill.  It 
is  mentioned  in  the  "Bye-Laws  of  Groton  relative  to 
Schools ;  and  Instruction  of  the  School  Committee, 
1805,"  and  in  old  deeds. 

Reflection  of  Light. — The  reflection  of  the 
electric  light  in  Boston  and  the  surrounding  towns 
can  be  seen  from  certain  elevations  at  a  great  dis- 
tance. When  the  atmospheric  conditions  are  favor- 
able, it  is  distinctly  visible  on  particular  nights  from 
Indian  Hill  at  Groton,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Ma- 
jor Moses  Poor  Palmer's  house,  and  from  other 
places  in  the  town.  A  slight  haziness  in  the  air  is 
needed  in  order  to  receive  the  reflection.  The  dis- 
tance from  Boston  to  Groton  in  a  straight  line  is 
about  thirty  miles,  though  the  illumination  is  helped 
by  the  electric  systems  of  Newton  and  Waltham, 
which  are  somewhat  nearer.  From  different  points 
in  the  village  of  Groton  the  reflection  of  the  circuits 


236  GROTON. 

at  Nashua,  Lowell,  Clinton  and  Fitchburg  is  often 
visible,  which  places  are  twelve  or  thirteen  miles  dis- 
tant as  the  crow  flies. 

The  illumination  of  the  heavens  during  the  great 
fire  that  occurred  in  Boston  on  the  night  of  Novem- 
ber 9, 1872,  was  distinctly  seen  by  various  persons  in 
different  parts  of  the  town. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 

ABBOTT   LAWREXCE. 

The  name  of  Lawrence  is  one  of  the  earliest  to  be 
found  among  the  Puritan  settlers  of  Massachusetts. 
John  Lawreoce,  the  first  emigrant  of  the  name,  was 
established  in  Watertown  as  early  as  1635. 

Abbott  Lawrence  was  the  fifth  son  of  Samuel  and 
Susanna  Lawrence.  He  was  born  in  Groton  on  the 
16th  day  of  December,  1792.  He  received  the  family 
name  of  his  paternal  grandmother,  Abigail  Abbott, 
daughter  of  Nehemiah  Abbott,  of  Lexington.  His 
education,  begun  at  the  district  school,  was  completed 
at  the  academy  of  the  town,  of  which  his  father  had 
been  a  trustee  for  many  years.  He  enjoyed  nothing 
in  the  way  of  educational  advantages  beyond  this,  but 
he  evidently  improved  the  time  and  turned  all  that 
he  received  to  the  best  account.  In  1808  he  was  sent 
to  Boston  and  placed  as  an  apprentice  to  his  elder 
brother,  Amos  Lawrence,  who  had  been  for  some 
years  established  there  as  an  importer  of  English 
goods.     By  steady  application  and   fidelity  he  pre- 


GROTON.  237 

pared  himself  in  this  subordinate  position  tor  the  re- 
sponsibilities which  were  soon  to  come  upon  him  as 
a  principal.  In  1814  he  was  admitted  to  partnership 
with  his  brother.  The  times  were  by  no  means  encour- 
aging, as  we  were  in  the  midst  of  our  war  with  Eng-- 
land,  and  after  a  few  months  the  prospect  seemed  so 
unpromising  that  Mr.  Lawrence  proposed  to  withdraw 
from  the  business  and  enter  the  army.  He  had  pre- 
viously been  an  active  member  of  the  New  England 
Guards.  He  applied  to  the  War  Department  for  a 
commission,  but  before  an  answer  could  be  received 
the  news  of  peace  arrived,  and  he  abandoned  all 
thought  of  a  military  life.  He  embarked  in  the  first 
vessel  that  left  Boston  for  England  after  the  procla- 
mation of  peace  to  purchase  goods  Tor  the  market. 
"  The  passage  was  a  short  one.  With  characteristic 
ardor,  he  was  the  first  to  leap  on  shore,  being  thus, 
perhaps,  the  first  American  who  touched  his  fatherland 
after  the  war  was  ended."  He  remained  abroad  for 
some  time,  on  the  occasion  of  this  his  first  voyage  to 
Europe,  visiting  the  Continent,  where  he  saw  the  allied 
armies  immediately  after  the  battle  of  Waterloo. 

Messrs.  A.  &  A.  Lawrence  soon  engaged  largely  in 
the  sale  of  cotton  and  woolen  goods  of  domestic  man- 
ufacture, and  devoted  all  their  energies  to  foster  this 
great  branch  of  the  national  industry.  Mr.  LawTence's 
interest  in  the  work  of  railroad  construction  in  New 
England  was  hardly  less  than  in  the  establishment 
and  extension  of  the  manufacturing  system.  He  was 
a  large  subscriber  to  the  various  railroads  projected 
for  the  concentration  of  trade  in  Boston,  and  this 
from  a  feeling  of  patriotism  rather  than  the  expecta- 


238  GROTON. 

tion  of  profit.  Mr.  Lawrence  was  chosen  to  represent 
Massachusetts  at  the  Harrisburg  Convention  in  1827 
and  took  a  prominent  part  in  its  proceedings.  In 
1831  he  was  elected  to  the  Common  Council  of  Boston, 
hut  declined  a  re-election.  In  1834  he  was  elected  to 
Congress.  On  taking  his  place  he  was  at  once  put  on 
the  Committee  of  Ways  and  Means.  On  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term  his  constituents  testified  their  sense 
of  his  services  by  inviting  him  to  a  public 
dinner.  This  he  declined  in  a  letter  in  which 
he  touches  on  the  great  questions  of  the  day.  He  de- 
clined a  re-election  to  Congress,  although  the  mem- 
bers of  the  opposite  party  gave  him  the  remarkable 
assurance  that,  if  he  would  consent  to  stand,  no  can- 
didate should  "be  brought  out  against  him.  Two 
years  later  he  consented  to  accept  a  second  nomina- 
tion and  again  took  his  seat  in  the  House.  Shortly 
after  his  arrival  he  was  attacked  by  typhus  fever,  so 
that  for  some  time  small  hopes  w^ere  entertained  of  his 
recovery.     He  resigned  in  the  following  autumn. 

In  the  Presidential  campaign  of  1840,  Mr.  Law- 
rence took  an  active  part  in  favor  of  the  election  of 
General  Harrison.  In  September,  1842,  he  was  pres- 
ident of  the  Whig  Convention  which  nominated  Henry 
Clay  for  President  on  the  part  of  Massachusetts. 

In  1842  Mr.  Lawrence  was  appointed  by  the  Gov- 
ernor one  of  the  commissioners  on  the  part  of  Mas- 
sachusetts to  negotiate  a  settlement  of  our  northeast- 
ern boundary,  which  had  been  a  source  of  irritation 
for  many  years  between  the  United  States  and  Eng- 
land. Quoting  Mr.  Prescott's  language  :  "  It  is  not 
too  much  to  say  that  but  for  the  influence  exerted  by 


GROTON.  239 

Mr.  Lawrence  on  this  occasion  the  treaty,  if  it  had 
been  arranged  at  all,  would  never  have  been  brought 
into  the  shape  which  it  now  wears."  Mr.  Nathan 
Appleton  in  his  memoir  confirms  this  statement  in  the 
following  words  :  "  It  is  the  belief  of  the  writer,  who 
was  then  in  Congress,  that  to  Mr.  Lawrence  more  than 
to  any  other  individual  is  due  the  successful  accom- 
plishment of  the  negotiation  which  resulted  in  the 
important  Treaty  of  Washington." 

In  July,  1843,  Mr.  Lawrence,  accompanied  by  his 
wife  and  daughter,  embarked  from  Boston  for  England 
in  the  steamer  "  Columbia."  The  following. day  they 
were  wrecked  on  Black  Ledge,  near  Seal  Island. 
After  a  week's  detention  on  the  island,  they  were 
transported  to  Halifax  whence  they  proceeded  on  their 
voyage. 

Mr.  Lawrence's  reputation  had  preceded  him.  He 
was  received  in  England  with  marked  attention,  and 
the  hospitality  of  many  distinguished  and  influential 
people  was  extended  to  him. 

In  1844  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Whig  National 
Convention  and  one  of  the  electors  at  large  for  the 
State  of  Massachusetts.  He  was  an  ardent  sup- 
porter of  Henry  Clay  for  the  Presidency  and  deeply 
disappointed  on  his  defeat. 

In  1845  the  Essex  Company  was  organized  and  Mr. 
Lawrence  was  its  president  and  the  first  and  largest 
subscriber  to  its  stock.  The  city  of  Lawrence,  incor- 
porated as  a  town  in  1847,  was  named  for  him. 

Most  justly  has  it  been  said  :  "  The  broad  compre- 
hension, unwavering  faith  and  large  capacity  of  Ab- 
bott Lawrence  should  never  be  forgotten  by  dwellers 
in  the  city  that  bears  his  name." 


240  GROTON. 

In  1846  Mr.  Lawrence  addressed  to  the  Hon.  Wm. 
C.  Rives,  of  Virginia,  his  celebrated  letters  on  the 
tariff.  Mr.  Webster  wrote  to  Mr.  Lawrence  from 
Washington  :  "  Your  letters  to  Mr,  Rives  have  a  very 
great  circulation,  as  you  are  aware,  and  are  highly 
praised  by  intelligent  men.  The  second  of  them  w411 
form  the  substratum  of  what  I  propose  to  say  (if  I 
say  anything)  on  the  tariff  subject."  "These  letters 
attracted  much  attention  in  all  parts  of  the  country 
and  especially  in  Virginia,  where  they  were  re-printed 
and  commented  upon  at  length  in  the  leading  news- 
papers. So  deep  was  the  impression  made  in  that 
State  by  them,  and  such  a  spirit  of  enterprise  did  they 
enkindle,  that  some  of  the  leading  citizens  invited 
him  to  come  and  establish  a  manufacturing  town  at 
the  Great  Falls  of  the  Potomac.  This  appeal  on  the 
part  of  a  sister  State  for  co-operation  and  leadership 
in  the  development  of  its  industry  and  capital  was  a 
remarkable  recognition  and  tribute  to  the  ability  and 
character  of  Mr.  Lawrence.  .  .  .  But  vast  interests 
were  at  stake  nearer  home,  and  he  could  not  allow 
himself  to  be  diverted  from  this  work  by  the  projected 
enterprise  on  the  shores  of  the  Potomac,  no  matter  how 
alluring  the  promise  of  results  both  to  himself  and  to 
others." 

Mr.  Hill  in  his  Memoir  thus  spoke  of  Mr.  Law- 
rence :  "  His  character,  in  all  respects  that  of  the  pure 
New  England  type,  was  peculiarly  so  in  the  love  and 
zeal  which  he  always  manifested  in  the  cause  of 
popular  education.  .  .  .  We  have  an  illustration  of 
this  in  the  letters  written  by  him  when  he  established 
the  Lawrence  prizes  in  the  High  and  Latin  Schools 


GROTON.  241 

of  Boston,  (1844-45)  giving  to  each  the  sum  of  $2000 
— using  his  own  language — the  interest  to  be  expended 
in  medals,  books,  and  other  prizes  among  those  pupils 
who  may  excel  in  the  various  branches  of  learning 
which  are  taught  in  those  schools."  In  a  like  spirit 
he  aided  in  the  endowment  of  the  Franklin  Library 
at  Lawrence  which  also  received  a  bequest  of  $5000 
at  his  death. 

For  several  years  he  had  felt  (to  use  his  own  words) 
"  the  pressing  want  in  our  community  (and  in  the  whole 
country)  of  an  increased  number  of  men  educated  in 
the  practical  sciences."  "  He  was  satisfied,"  says  Mr. 
Prescott,  "  that,  however  liberal  the  endowments  of  that 
institution  "  (Harvard  University)  "  for  objects  of  lib- 
eral culture,  no  adequate  provision  had  been  made  for 
instruction  in  science."  When,  therefore,  the  Corpo- 
ration of  the  University  announced  its  purpose  of  or- 
ganizing a  school  of  theoretical  and  practical  science, 
he  responded  by  a  gift  in  1847  of  fifty  thousand  dollars. 
In  recognition  of  his  munificence  the  institution  was 
named  the  Lawrence  Scientific  School.  Soon  after  its 
establishment.  Professor  Agassiz  was  appointed  to  the 
chair  of  Zoology  and  Geology.  Mr.  Lawrence  en- 
dowed the  school  with  a  further  like  sum  by  his  will. 

Mr.  Lawrence  was  a  leader  in  the  movement  to 
supply  the  city  of  Boston  wdth  an  abundance  of  pure 
water.  He  attended  several  public  meetings  held  to 
promote  that  object,  and  made  speeches  in  support  of 
it.  One  of  them  may  be  found  in  full  in  "  Hill's  Me- 
moir" of  him.  The  project  met  with  the  strongest 
opposition.  The  first  act  of  the  Legislature  (passed 
March,  1845)  authorizing  the  city  to  take  water  from 
16 


242  GROTOX. 

either  Long  Pond  or  Charles  River  was  rejected  at 
the  polls  by  a  large  majority,  but  a  second  act,  such 
had  been  the  change  in  public  opinion  only  eleven 
months  later,  was  accepted  by  a  still  larger  majority. 
Water  was  brought  into  the  city  from  Long  Pond  in 
October,  1848,  and  Mr.  Lawrence  lived  to  see  all  his 
prediction?  more  than  verified. 

In  the  Presidential  canvass  of  1848  the  name  of  Mr. 
Lawrence  was  prominently  associated  for  the  oflSce  of 
Vice-President  with  that  of  General  Taylor  for  Presi- 
dent, and  at  the  convention  in  Philadelphia  he  wanted 
but  six  votes  of  being  nominated  for  that  office. 
This  result  was  owing  to  the  peculiar  and  unexpected 
course  of  some  of  the  delegates  from  his  own  State. 
He,  however,  heartily  sustained  the  nomination  of 
Taylor  and  Fillmore.  Immediately  after  the  inaugu- 
ration of  General  Taylor,  Mr.  Lawrence  was  offered 
a  seat  in  his  Cabinet,  but  declined  it ;  soon  after  he 
was  nominated  to  the  mission  to  England,  which  he 
accepted.  After  serving  three  years  his  private 
affairs  obliged  him  to  return,  and  in  October,  1852,  he 
resigned.  No  minister  from  the  United  States  was 
ever  more  respected  or  left  behind  him  a  more  envia- 
ble reputation.  The  Rev.  John  Cumming,  in  dedicat- 
ing the  American  edition  of  his  "  Apocalyptic 
Sketches  "  to  Mr.  Lawrence,  says:  "  I  regard  this  as 
an  opportunity  of  expressing  a  conviction  shared  and 
felt  by  the  good  and  great  of  this  country  how  much 
they  appreciated  your  presence  in  London,  as  the 
representative  of  your  magnificent  nation,  and  how 
deeply, — I  may  add  universally, — they  regretted  your 
departure.     We  never  had  so  popular  a  minister  from 


GROTON.  243 

America  or  one  who  has  done  so  much  to  leave  last- 
ing and  elevated  impressions  of  his  countrymen." 

After  his  return  from  England,  Mr.  Lawrence  held 
no  public  position,  though  he  still  maintained  a  warm 
interest  in  public  affairs.  He  vigorously  opposed  the 
new  State  Constitution  of  1853  and  made  numerous 
speeches  against  it ;  but  with  this  exception  and  his 
efforts  in  the  "  canvass  for  General  Scott  as  President, 
he  took  no  active  part  in  politics.  He  showed  the 
same  zeal  as  ever  in  the  cause  of  education,  and 
watched  with  the  deepest  interest  over  the  rising  for- 
tunes of  the  Scientific  School  which  he  had  founded 
at  Cambridge." 

Mr.  Lawrence  married,  on  the  28th  of  June,  1819, 
Katharine,  the  eldest  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Timothy 
Bigelow,  the  distinguished  lawyer.  He  died  in  Bos- 
ton on  the  18th  of  August,  1855,  and  was  buried  with 
civil  and  military  honors. 

Recognizing  Mr.  Lawrence's  hearty  and  generous 
interest  in  the  cause  of  education,  as  well  as  his  valu- 
able public  services,  Williams  College  in  1852  and 
Harvard  College  in  1854  conferred  on  him  the  hon- 
orary degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws. 


HOX.  MOSES  p.  PALMER.^ 

Moses  Poor  Palmer  is  a  son  of  Moses  Harriman  and 
Mary  Harriman  (Hale)  Palmer,  and  was  born  at  Derry, 
N.  H.,  on  May  1, 1830.  His  parents  were  cousins,  and 
in  the  ylar  1832  the  family  removed  to  East  Bradford 

1  By  Hon.  Samuel  Abbott  Green. 


244  GROTON. 

(now  Groveland),  where  the  son  received  his  early 
education,  attending  school  at  Merrimack  Academy, 
in  that  village.  During  the  summer  months  he 
worked  upon  his  father's  farm,  and  in  the  winter  on 
the  shoemaker's  bench,  as  was  the  custom  of  young 
men  at  that  time  in  his  neighborhood.  He  learned 
the  trade  of  shoe-cutting  at  Marlborough  ;  and  in  the 
year  1854  he  came  to  Groton  in  order  to  superintend 
a  shoe  factory  that  had  just  been  started.  It  was  or- 
ganized by  Messrs.  Bigelow  and  Eandall,  in  a  build- 
ing that  had  then  only  recently  been  given  up  as  a 
tavern,  and  situated  near  the  Congregational  meeting- 
house. On  December  19,  1855,  the  establishment 
was  burned,  and  then  the  business  was  transferred  to 
the  building  previously  used  as  a  bakery  and  situated 
at  the  corner  of  Main  and  West  Streets.  Here  young 
Palmer  remained  until  1858,  when,  in  partnership 
with  his  brother,  he  began  the  manufacture  of  shoes 
at  Marlborough,  where  he  continued  until  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  Rebellion  in  the  spring  of  1861.  He 
then  recruited  a  company  of  riflemen  at  Marlborough, 
and,  on  May  6th  of  that  year,  was  commissioned  as 
captain.  In  the  mean  time  the  quota  of  men  asked 
for  by  President  Lincoln  was  filled,  and  for  that 
reason  the  company  was  not  at  once  accepted,  but 
was  assigned  afterward  to  the  Fourth  Battalion  of 
Rifles,  which  became  the  nucleus  of  the  Thirteenth 
Massachusetts  Volunteers.  On  June  25th  this  or- 
ganization was  ordered  to  garrison  Fort  Indepen- 
deuce,  Boston  Harbor,  where  it  was  soon  recfuited  to 
ten  companies ;  and  on  July  16th  Palmer  was  com- 
missioned as  first  lieutenant.     On  July  30th  the  regi- 


GROTON.  245 

ment  left  for  the  seat  of  war,  and,  on  August  16, 
1862,  Lieutenant  Palmer  was  promoted  to  a  captaincy, 
although  he  had  been  in  command  of  the  company 
during  most  of  the  time  since  the  regiment  left  Boston. 
In  the  campaign  of  1862  he  was  in  command  through 
all  the  principal  battles  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
notably  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Kun,  where  he  was 
wounded  three  times, — one  of  which  wounds  was  a 
very  severe  one,  a  bullet  passing  through  his  neck 
and  lower  jaw, — and  also  slightly  wounded  at  Fred- 
ericksburg. He  took  part  in  Bolivar  Heights,  Front 
Royal,  Thoroughfare  Gap,  Chaucellorsville,  and 
various  other  battles  and  skirmishes. 

During  the  fight  at  Gettysburg  on  July  1,  1863, 
while  in  the  First  Corps  (Reynolds'),  he  was  severely 
shot  in  the  right  knee  and  crippled  for  life,  and  on 
March  9,  1864,  was  honorably  discharged  from  the 
military  service.  Owing  to  this  wound  he  has  lost 
the  entire  use  of  his  knee,  and  is  compelled  to  walk 
on  crutches.  On  May  10, 1866,  for  gallant  and  meri- 
torious services  in  the  field,  he  was  breveted  major 
of  volunteers. 

After  his  discharge  from  the  army  Captain  Palmer 
returned  to  Groton,  the  home  of  his  wife,  and  bought 
a  farm,  situated  on  the  Great  Road  to  Boston,  about 
a  mile  from  the  village,  where  he  now  lives,  much  re- 
spected in  the  community.  For  twelve  years  (1877- 
89)  he  served  the  town  as  selectman,  assessor  and 
overseer  of  the  poor,  and  for  four  years  was  the 
chairman  of  the  board.  He  has  been  commander  of 
E.  S.  Clark  Post,  No.  115,  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public;  master  of  Grange  No.  7,  Patrons  of  Hus- 


246  GROTON. 

bandry ;  an  officer  of  the  Groton  Farmers'  and 
Mev:hanics'  Club,  and  a  member  of  the  Middlesex 
North  Agricultural  Society  at  Lowell,  having  been 
for  many  years  one  of  its  vice-presidents  and  trustees. 
He  has  been  a  justice  of  the  peace  since  March  30, 
1881,  and  is  now  treasurer  of  the  New  England  Milk 
Producers'  Union.  His  success  as  a  farmer  shows 
what  can  be  accomplished  by  skill  and  application, 
and  furnishes  a  good  example  for  young,  men  to  follow. 

Major  Palmer  was  a  member  of  the  House  during 
the  session  of  1S84,  and  a  member  of  the  Senate  dur- 
ing the  sessions  of  1888-90,  a  period  of  three  years, 
a  longer  term  of  service  than  has  ever  been  accorded 
to  aay  other  Senator  from  his  district. 

On  July  7,  1861,  he  was  married  to  Martha  Green, 
daughter  of  Joshua  and  Matilda  (Prescott)  Eaton,  of 
Groton ;  and  they  have  one  son  and  two  daughters. 


CHAELES  HAERISOX  WATERS.  ^ 

For  a  period  of  twenty-eight  years,  from  1855  to 
1883,  Charles  Harrison  Waters  was  one  of  Groton's 
most  capable,  efficient  and  respected  citizens.  He  pos- 
sessed in  a  marked  degree  the  qualities  which  make  a 
strong  character  ;  and  his  usefulness  was  equal  to  his 
energy. 

He  was  the  oldest  son  of  Horace  Waters  and  Euth 
Hovey,  of  Millbury,  Mass.,  where  he  was  born  July 
31,  1828.  His  school  days  were  not  protracted,  end- 
ing with  a  term  or  two  at  an  academy.     At  the  age  of 

1  By  Eev.  Joshua  Young,  D.D. 


GROTON.  247 

fifteen  he  was  a  factory  boy  ;  at  eighteen,  an  overseer 
in  a  mill,  already  with  an  aim  in  life,  and  to  the  end 
of  his  busy  career  he  pursued,  in  the  main,  the  way 
of  his  father  before  him,  that  of  a  successful  manu- 
facturer. 

Dec.  21,  1854  he  married  Mary  J.  Farnsworth, 
daughter  of  James  Farnsworth,  of  Groton,  where,  in 
the  following  year,  he  took  up  his  residence,  at  first, 
on  the  Farnsworth  estate  in  the  west  part  of  the  vil- 
lage, and,  subsequently,  purchasing  and  remodeling 
for  his  occupancy  the  house  owned  by  Mr.  John  Pea- 
body  on  Main  Street  (North).  There  were  born  to 
him  three  children,  two  of  whom  remain. 

Mr.  Waters  was  a  man  of  action  ;  his  was  an  alert 
mind,  his  a  ready  hand.  He  could  not  be  of  the  number 
of  those  "  who  merely  exist  in  a  state  of  benumbed  tor- 
por, not  finding  it  needful  to  be  more  than  half  awake." 
He  must  be  up  and  doing.  And  so  he  worked  and 
over-worked  until  he  broke  down.  Warning  came  to 
him  some  five  years  before,  and  he  gave  it  heed  just 
long  enough  to  make  a  flying  trip  to  Europe,  but  only 
to  gird  on  the  harness  again  as  soon  as  he  got  back. 

Mr.  Waters  had  the  genius  of  an  inventor.  Prob- 
lems of  natural  philosophy,  physics,  books  of  science 
had  to  him  far  more  attraction  than  other  subjects. 

He  was  still  a  young  man  only  twenty-three  when 
he  went  to  Jewett  City,  Connecticut,  and  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  rope  and  twine,  introducing  origi- 
nal methods.  Much  of  the  machinery  now  in  use  in 
the  extensive  works  of  the  Clinton  Wire-cloth  Com- 
pany (of  which  he  was  first  the  agent,  then  the  general 
manager,  then  vice-president,  and  finally  president. 


248  GEOTON. 

which  office  he  held  at  the  time  of  his  decease)  was  of 
his  invention. 

In  prosecuting  the  new  enterprise  known  as  the 
Avery  Lactate  Company,  and  while  personally  super- 
intending the  construction  of  the  building  at  Little- 
ton, from  the  walls  of  which  he  was  descending  when 
attacked  by  paralysis,  he  either  made  himself,  or 
caused  to  be  made,  some  important  and  original  in- 
vestigations in  chemistry.  Had  his  life  been  spared 
it  is  not  impossible  that  this  business  venture  would 
have  been  successful. 

Undoubtedly  the  quality  of  efficiency  would  be 
mentioned  as  his  chief  mental  characteristic.  By  vir- 
tue of  his  natural  executive  ability  it  was  his  right  to 
lead — not  simply  to  have  his  own  way,  but  to  have 
things  done  and  well  done.  He  used  his  power  for  good. 
And  underneath  that  large,  forceful  brain  there  was 
also  an  equally  large  and  benevolent  heart.  The  charity 
that  emanated  from  his  house  was  widely  recognized, 
his  own  kindness  of  heart  being  seconded  by  that  of  his 
estimable  wife.  As  a  citizen,  he  was  public-spirited  in 
an  eminent  degree.  He  was  in  favor  of  improvements, 
whether  it  was  to  have  better  schools  or  better  roads. 
In  the  beautiful  village  of  his  residence,  w^hatever  gives 
attractiveness  to  the  place,  or  character  and  dignity  to 
the  people,  is  due  as  much  to  his  personal  effort  as  to 
that  of  any  other  man  of  his  generation.  His  relig- 
ious affiliation  was  with  the  L^nitarians.  His  atten- 
dance on  the  ministrations  of  the  house  of  God  was  as 
regular  and  constant  as  the  return  of  the  Sabbath. 
His  mind  recognized  a  Supreme  Intelligence,  and 
bowed  with  reverence  and  adoration  to  an  authority 

•'  Enthroned  above  the  reach  of  sight." 


GROTON.  249 

For  several  years  he  was  the  president  of  the  North 
Middlesex  Conference  of  Unitarian  and  other  Chris- 
tian churches.  He  died  March  13,  1883,  aged  fifty- 
four  years. 

A  unique  monument  of  his  own  design  marks  his 
resting-place  in  the  village  cemetery. 


LUTHER  BLOOD. 

Luther  Blood  was  born  at  Groton,  October  21, 
1810,  and  is  a  son  of  Luther  and  Sally  (Cook) 
Blood.  His  grandfather,  Caleb,  married  Hannah 
Holden,  November  1,  1753,  and  Elizabeth  Farns- 
worth,  March  3,  1774.  He  had  twenty-seven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Luther  was  the  twenty-fifth.  Eliza- 
beth, the  grandmother,  was  a  member  of  the  old 
Farnsworth  family,  whose  name  was  among  the  first 
settlers  of  the  town.  Caleb  was  born  November  23, 
1734,  and  was  the  son  of  John  and  .Joanna  (Nutting) 
Blood,  who  were  married  July  13,  1712.  The  first 
ancestor  in  Groton  of  Luther  Blood  was  probably 
James,  who  was  one  of  four  by  the  name  of  Blood 
who  early  went  to  the  township  and  became  original 
proprietors,  and  are  mentioned  as  petitioners  for  a 
plantation  at  that  place.  The  family  name  is  a  fa- 
miliar one ;  and  while  some  who  bear  it  have  become 
widely  scattered  in  the  land,  there  have  yet  been 
those  who  have  continued  it  in  Groton  and  the  adjacent 
places,  which  were  formerly  a  part  of  the  ancient 
town.  The  old  homestead,  where  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  born,  is  situated  in  West  Groton,  near 
Fitch's  Bridge.     It  is  on  the  west  side  of  the  Nashua 


250  GEOTON. 

Kiver,  and  is  now  owned  and  occupied  by  Augustus 
Blood,  a  brother  of  Luther.  This  estate  has  for  many 
years  been  in  the  possession  of  the  Blood  family. 
The  grandfather  of  Luther  came  into  possession  of  it 
when  it  was  wilderness  land,  and  by  his  industry  and 
thrift  it  became  a  smiling  homestead,  where  succes- 
sive generations  of  the  family  have  been  reared.  On 
this  farm  the  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  early 
years,  where  his  life  was  in  accord  with  the  customs 
and  ways  of  the  rural  and  sparsely-peopled  places  of 
our  old  Xew  England  towns.  There  was  plenty  of 
hard,  rough  work  on  the  farm,  and  that  substantial 
and  wholesome  fare,  which  may  have  been  a  condi- 
tion of  the  robust  health  which  he,  at  his  advanced 
age,  now  enjoys.  The  education  he  received  was  at 
the  humble  school-house  in  what  is  still  known  as 
District  No.  4,  and  consisted  in  what  could  be  ob- 
tained in  a  course  of  six  or  eight  weeks  each  year. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  left  home  and  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade.  Two  school  buildings  still 
stand  which  were  erected  under  his  supervision,  and 
which,  by  their  contrast,  suggest  the  rapid  improve- 
ment in  our  educational  means.  One  of  these  is  a 
small,  unoccupied,  brick  school-house,  in  District 
Ko.  4,  built  in  1835 ;  the  other  the  beautiful  Law- 
rence Academy,  erected  in  1870. 

May  2,  1844,  Mr.  Blood  married  Sarah  Park  Stone, 
of  South  Groton,  now  the  town  of  Ayer.  Miss  Stone's 
birthplace  was  about  a  mile  from  Ayer  Junction ;  but 
her  later  home  was  the  "Stone  Place,"  on  the  old 
road  from  Ayer  to  Groton.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blood  have 
no  children.     Their  residence  is  pleasantly  situated 


GROTON.  251 

on  High  Street,  near  the  Lawrence  Academy  and  the 
Unitarian  Church.  Mr.  Blood  was  an  old-time  Whig, 
till  the  breaking  up  of  that  party,  since  which  time 
he  has  been  a  Republican.  His  habits  have  been 
simple  and  regular.  He  has  been  temperate  and  in- 
dustrious, and  bears  the  marks  of  well-developed 
old  age. 

SAMUEL  A.  GREEN".^ 

Samuel  Abbott  Green  was  born  in  Groton,  Mass., 
March  16,  1830.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  in  1851. 
After  receiving  his  medical  degree,  in  1854,  he  spent 
several  years  in  Europe.  On  his  return  he  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  Boston.  May  19,  1858, 
he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Banks  surgeon  of  the 
Second  Massachusetts  Militia  Regiment,  and  at  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Rebellion  he  entered  the  service 
as  assistant  surgeon  of  the  First  Massachusetts  Regi- 
ment, and  was  the  first  medical  ofiicer  in  the  Com- 
monwealth mustered  in  for  three  years'  service.  Sep- 
tember 2,  1861,  Dr.  Green  was  promoted  to  surgeon  of 
the  Twenty-fourth  Massachusetts  Regiment,  a  posi- 
tion which  he  occupied  until  November  2,  1864. 
During  this  time  he  was  on  the  stafts  of  various  cavalry 
officers.  On  the  Burnside  expedition  to  Roanoke  he 
had  charge  of  the  hospital-ship  "  Recruit,"  and  later, 
of  the  hospital-ship  "  Cosmopolitan,"  on  the  South 
Carolina  coast.  He  was  also  chief  medical  officer  at 
Morris  Island  during  the  siege  of  Fort  Wagner. 
He  was  appointed  post-surgeon  at  Jacksonville  and 

1  By  the  Editor. 


252  GROTON. 

St.  Augustine,  Fla.,  iu  October,  1863,  and  from  this 
point  went  to  Virginia,  and  was  with  the  army  when 
Bermuda  Hundred  was  taken.  After  the  surrender  of 
Richmond  Dr.  Green  was  appointed  acting  staff-sur- 
geon in  that  city,  where  he  remained  three  months. 

In  1862  he  was  successful  in  organizing  Roanoke 
Cemetery,  one  of  ihe  first  regular  burial-places  for 
Union  soldiers,  which  was  dedicated,  with  appropri- 
ate ceremonies  on  February  23,  1862.  Dr.  Green  was 
faithful  to  his  trust,  and  those  characteristics  which 
have  marked  his  later  life  shone  resplendent  in  the 
service,  and  in  1864,  for  gallant  and  distinguished 
services  in  the  field,  he  was  breveted  lieutenant-col- 
onel of  volunteers. 

At  the  clo^e  of  the  war  he  returned  to  Boston,  where 
he  has  filled  various  positions  of  trust  and  responsi- 
bility. From  1865  to  1872  he  was  superintendent  of 
the  Boston  Dispensary.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Boston  School  Board  in  1860,  '62,  '66  and  '72  ;  trustee 
of  the  Boston  Public  Library  from  1868  to '78,  and 
acting  librarian  from  October,  1877,  to  October,  1878. 
In  1870  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Claflin  on  the 
commission  to  care  for  disabled  soldiers.  He  was 
city  physician  from  1871  to  1880,  and  also,  in  1878, 
he  w^as  chosen  a  member  of  the  board  of  experts, 
authorized  by  Congress  to  investigate  the  yellow  fever. 
He  is  now  serving  his  fourth  term  as  an  Overseer  of 
Harvard  College,  and  is  also  one  of  the  trustees  of 
the  Peabody  Education  Fund,  which  was  established 
by  the  late  George  Peabody  for  educational  purposes 
at  the  South. 

In   1882  Dr.  Green  was  elected  mayor  of  Boston. 


GROTON.  253 

While  Dr.  Green  has  been  active  and  prominent  in 
the  affairs  of  Boston  generally,  the  distinguishing 
feature  of  his  career,  perhaps,  is  the  time  and  research 
he  has  given  to  historical  studies,  and  the  various 
works  which  he  has  prepared  and  printed — many  of 
them  privately — form  an  invaluable  addition  to  the 
historic  literature  of  the  Commonwealth. 

Among  his  works  may  be  mentioned  the  following : 
"My  Campaigns  in  America,"  a  journal  kept  by 
Comte  William  de  Deux  Fonts,  1780-81 ;  translated 
from  the  French  manuscript,  with  an  introduction 
and  notes  (Boston,  1868) ;  "An  Account  of  Fercival 
and  Ellen  Green  and  Some  of  their  Descendants," 
(printed  privately,  Groton,  Mass.,  1876);  "Epitaphs 
from  the  Old  Burying-Ground  in  Groton,  Mass." 
(1879);  "The  Early  Records  of  Groton,  Mass,  1662- 
1677"  (1880);  "  History  of  Medicine  in  Massachu- 
setts," a  centennial  address  delivered  before  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Medical  Society,  June  7,  1881  (Boston, 
1881);  "Groton  during  the  Indian  Wars"  (Groton, 
1883);  "  Groton  during  the  Witchcraft  Times  "  (1883); 
"The  Boundary  Lines  of  Old  Groton"  (1885);  "  The 
Geography  of  Groton,"  preserved  for  the  use  of  the 
Appalachian  (Mountain)  Club  (1886);  "Groton  His- 
torical Series,"  thirty-seven  numbers,  1883-1890,  and 
the  "  History  of  Groton,"  in  this  work. 


INDEX 


ADAMS,  Amos,  195. 
Adams,  Augustus,  203. 
Adams,  James,  190. 
Adams,  James,  Jr.,  190. 
Adams,  Dea.  Jonathan  Stow,  168. 
Adams,  Dr.  Joseph,  187. 
Aldrich,  Rev.  Jeremiah  Knight,  84. 
Alexander,  Amos,  192.  202. 
Alexander's  Tavern, 192. 
Allen,  Rev.  John,  87. 
Ames,  Jacob,  59,  62. 
Ames,  John,  50,  58. 
Ames,  Simeon,  195. 
Andruss,  Theodore,  173,  179. 
Appletou,  Hon.  Nathan,  199. 
Archibald,  Adams,  181. 
Austin,  John,  202. 
Ayer,  Rev.  Oliver,  88. 


BABCOCK,   Rev.   John    Martin 
Luther,  79. 
Baldwin,  Loammi,  Jr.,  206. 
Baldwin,  Prof.  Marvin  Morse,  11. 
Ball,  Micah,  204. 
Bancroft,  Abel,  159. 
Bancroft,  Dr.  Amos,  101,  175. 
Bancroft,  Dr.  Amos  Bigelow,  107. 
Bancroft,  Dea.   Benjamin,  92,  160, 

161,  185. 
Bancroft,  Edmund  Dana,  132. 
Bancroft,  William  Austin,  138. 
Banks,  William,  153. 
Baptist    Society,    organization    of, 

86. 
Bardwell,  Otis,  203. 
Barron.  Elias,  60. 
Barstovv,  Rev.  John,  85. 
Bernard,  Gov.  Francis,  149. 


Bigelow,  Hon.  John  Prescott,  138. 
Bigelow,    Hon.    Timothy,   92,   118, 

127,  129,  135,  189. 
Bixby,  Geoi-ge  Henry,  181. 
Blanchard,  James,  l20,  157,  159. 
Blasdell,  Dr.  Henry,  95. 
Blood,  Abraham,  143. 
Blood,  Charles,  209. 
Blood,  Edmund,  181. 
Blood,  Joseph,  24. 
Blood,  Luther,  sketch  of,  249. 
Blood,  Richard,  157,  158. 
Blood,  Timothy,  131. 
Boiden,  Jonathan,  160. 
Boutwell,  Hon.  George  Sewall,  131, 

133,  134,  159, 166,  173, 178. 
Bowers  Inn,  the,  186. 
Bowers,  Isaac,  170. 
Bowers,  Samuel,  171. 
Bowers,  Samuel,  Jr. ,  186 
Bowker,  Daniel  D.  R.,  196. 
Boynton,  Calvin,  160,  161,  162. 
Boynton,  Hon.   John,  6,  118,  130, 

131,  159. 
Bradstreet,  Rev.  Dudley,  73. 
Brazer,  James,  92,  93,  130, 164,  165. 
Brazer,  Willam  Farwell,  137,  165. 
Briggs,  Charles,  203. 
Brigham,  George  Dexter,  159. 
Brooks,  Daniel,  191,  203. 
Brown,  Maj.  Aaron,  92,  129,   148, 

165,  169. 
Brown,  Artemas,  192. 
Brown,  Frank,  203. 
Brown,  George,  203. 
Brown,  George  Henry,  14,  132,  133, 

173, 179,  182. 
Brown,  Horace,  192,  203. 
Brown,  Ira,  203. 


256 


INDEX. 


Bulkley,  Rev.  Edwin  Adolphus,83. 

Bulkier,  John,  185,  186. 

BuUard,  Hon.  Henry  Adams,  138. 

BuUard,  Isaac,  203. 

Bullard,  Silas.  204. 

Bunker  Hill,  Groton  in  the  battle 

of,  143. 
Burgess,  Silas,  203. 
Burns,  George  James,  147. 
Butler,  Caleb,  130,  159,   173,   177, 

211. 
Buttrick,  Jonathan, 203. 
Buttrick,  Tilly,  194. 


CADY,  Joseph.  184. 
Cady,  Nicholas,  218. 

Camp  Stevens,  144,  145. 

Capell,  John,  167,  195. 

Capell,  the  Misses,  167- 

Carleton,  John,  204. 

Carleton,  Moses,  169. 

Carleton,  Walter.  204. 

Carrier-vragons,  205. 

Carter,  liev.  Samuel,  72. 

Central  House,  188. 

Chamberlain,  Dr.  Edson  Champion, 
116. 

Chamberlain,  John,  60,  63,  64. 

Chauipney,  Ebenezer,  129. 

Champuey,  Francis,  92. 

Chaplin.  Rev.  Daniel,  75,  81,  92. 

Charlestown,  N.  H.,  66. 

Chase,  Benjamin,  185. 

Chase,  Dr.  Ezekiel,  95. 

Chase.  John,  204. 

Child,  David,  138.  168. 

Child,  Ephraim,  18. 

Childs,  William,  192. 

Clark,  Maj.  Eusebius    Silsby,  138, 
147. 

Clai-k,  Captain  Josiah,  86. 

Cobbet,  Rev.  Thomas,  33. 

Coburn,  David,  204. 

Colburn,  James,  Jr.,  186. 

Colburn,  James  Minot,  188. 

Connecticut  Historical  Society,  col- 
lections of,  8. 

Coolidge,     Dr.    Joseph     Franklin, 
112. 

Cooper,  Timothy,  28,  33. 

Corbin,  Stenhen,  204. 

Corey,  Aaron,  203. 

Corey,  Calvin,  203. 

Corey,  Chambers,  144. 


Coroners,  list  of.  137. 

Cotton,  Rev.  John,  37. 

Crispe,  Benjamin,  42. 

Cummings,  Allen,  132. 

Cummings,  Dr.  James  Merrill,  108 

Curtis,  Beriah,204. 

Cushing,  Leonard  Williams,  203. 

Cutler,  Jonas,  163. 

Cutts,  Joseph,  145. 


DANA,  James,  213. 
Dana,  Hon.  Samuel,  118, 129, 

130,  134,  135,  150,  173,  175,  194, 

213. 
Dana,  Rev.  Samuel,  75,  92,  187. 
Dana,  William,  203. 
Danforth,  Jonathan,  217. 
Danforth,  Kimball,  203. 
Danforth,  Thomas,  18, 148. 
Davis,  Dolor,  5. 
Davis,  Joel,  235. 
Davis,  John,  46. 
Davis,  Dr.  Kendall,  111. 
Davis,  Nathan,  92. 
Dickinson,  Thomas,  23. 
Dickson,  Walter,  46. 
Dix,  Benjamin  Perkins,  164,  170. 
Dodge,  James,  144. 
Domesday  Book,  11,  12. 
Downing,  Emanuel,  9. 
Drew,  Thomas,  39. 
Dudley,  Gov.  Joseph,  53. 
Dudley,  Paul,  136. 
Dummer,  Lieut  .-Gov.  Wm.,  58. 


EDES,Lsaiah,  161. 
Edes,  Peter,  137. 
Eldredge,  Dr.  Micah,  104. 
Emerson,  Dearborn,  189,  190,  191, 

200. 
Emerson  Tavern,  the,  187. 
Emory,  Thomas,  204. 
Episcopal  Church,  91. 
Everett,  Israel,  96. 


FARNSWORTH,  Abel,  137. 
Famsworth,   Dr.  Amos,  106, 
172,211. 
Famsworth,  David,  66. 
Farnswcrth,  Ebenezer,  67. 
Famsworth,  Ebenezer,  Jr.,  172. 
Famsworth,  Ephraim,  62. 


INDEX. 


257 


Farnsworth,  Ezra,  185,  186. 

Farusworth, 'Harriet  Elizabeth,  173, 
179. 

Farnsworth,    Dea.  Isaac,  126,  129 
137,  159,  185. 

Farnsworth,  Ensign  John,  123. 

Farnsworth,  .lonas,  172. 

Farnsworth,  Marquis  D.,  190. 

Farnsworth,  Matthias,  Jr.,  45,  51. 

Farnsworth,  Reuben,  62. 

Farnsworth,  Dr.  Samuel,  66,  97. 

Farnsworth,  Stephen,  66,  67. 

Farnsworth,     Thomas     Treadwell, 
187. 

Farnum,  David,  171. 

Farr,  Kimball,  193. 

Farrar,  Stephen,  194. 

Farwell.  Capt.  Henry,  143. 

Farwell,  Isaac,  68. 

Fassett,  Lieut.  Amaziah,  143. 

Fawcett,  Abiel,  204. 

Fawcett,  Nathan,  204. 

Fire  Club,  210  ;   list  of  founders  of, 
212. 

Fire  Department,  206. 

First     Parish     Meeting-house,     1 ; 
separation    of    Second     Church 
from,   81. 
Fisk,  James,  158,  223. 
Fisk,  Peter,  144. 

Fiske,  George  Washington,  173, 179. 
Fitch,  Zechariah,  40,  92. 
Fletcher,  Oliver.  126. 
Flint,  George,  202. 
Folsom,  Rev.  George  McKean,  79. 
Ford,  Capt.  John,  156. 
Fosdick,  Christina  Dakin,  180. 
Foster,  John,  2. 
Foster,  Stephen,  144. 
Fox,  Isaac  J.,  192. 
Fi'ontenac,  Count  de,  36. 
Fulham  [Fullam],  Francis,  137, 154. 
Fuller,  Abel  Hamilton,  204. 
Fuller,  Dr.  Lemuel,  110. 
Fuller,  Micah,  68. 
Fuller,  Hon.  Timothy,  128. 
Fuzzard,  John,  194. 


GARDNER,    Andrew    Boynton, 
182. 
Gardner,  Maj.  Thomas,  130,  164. 
Garrison-houses,  27. 
Gates,  George  Samuel,  132,  162. 


General  Court,  list  of  representa- 
tives to,  118. 

Geography  of  Groton.  217. 

George,  Horace,  197,  203. 

Gerrish,  Charles,  167. 

Gerrish,  Charles  Hastings,  6. 

Gill,  Moses,  187,  192,  193. 

Gilson,  John,  60,  209,  210. 

Gilson,  John  M.,  192. 

Gilson,  Capt.  Jonas,  167. 

Gilson,  Joseph,  60. 

Gleany,  William,  171. 

Globe  Tavern,  the,  192. 

Goddard,  Mrs.  Delano  A.,  188. 

Goffe,  Col.  Edmund,  95. 

Goodwin,  Rev.  Thomas  Herbert,  89. 

Gove,  Dr.  Jonathan,  97. 

Graves,  George  Sumner,  1-33,  209, 
210. 

Green,  Charles  W.,  210. 

Green,  Eleazer,  184. 

Green,  Ira,  203. 

Green,  Dr.  Joshua,  103,  131. 

Green,  Dr.  Samuel  A.,  letter  from 
Hon.  J.  Hammond  Trumbull,  6 ; 
letter  from  Hon.  Robert  C.  Win- 
throp,  9 ;  delivers  address  at 
dedication  of  monument  com- 
memorating first  meeting-house, 
34 ;  sketch  of  Hon.  Moses  P. 
Palmer,  243  ;  sketch  of,  251. 

Green,  William,  156. 

Greene,  Isaac,  185. 

Groton  Academy,  91. 

Groton,  in  other  States,  10-11. 

Groton,  Mass.,  geographical  posi- 
tion of,  1  ;  original  grant  of 
township,  2 :  earliest  reference 
made  to,  2 ;  petition  to  General 
Court  for  plantation  of,  4,  5; 
Indian  derivation  of  name,  6 ; 
spelling  of  name,  13,  14;  life  of 
early  settlers,  14  ;  first  document 
concerning,  15  ;  trials  of  early 
settlers,  21 ;  early  history  of,  27  ; 
monument  erected  to  commem- 
orate first  meeting-house,  33 ; 
ministers,  68-90 ;  formation  of 
Second  Church,  81 ;  Lawrence 
Academy,  92-94 ;  physicians, 
94-117 ;  list  of  representatives 
to  General  Court,  118-1.33  ;  resi- 
dents who  held  commissions, 
136;  coroners,  1.37;  prominent 
natives   and   residents,   138-141; 


/; 


258 


INDEX. 


part  taken  in  the  Revolution, 
142-144  ;  part  taken  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Bunker  Hill,  343;  part 
taken  in  the  War  for  the  Union, 
144-147:  Camp  Stevens,  144; 
population  at  different  times,  147- 
153  ;  slavery  in  the  town,  153- 
157 ;  list  of  town  clerks,  157-159 ; 
list  of  treasurers,  160-162;  old 
stores,  162-171 ;  military  com- 
panies, 167  ;  post-ofiBce,  171-183  ; 
list  of  postmasters,  173 ;  tele- 
graph and  telephone  established, 
183:  old  taverns,  183:  stage- 
coaches, 196;  fire  department, 
206  :  fire-club,  210  ;  starch-fac- 
tory, paper  mills,  etc.,  213:  ge- 
ography, 217 :  biographical 
sketches  of  prominent  men,  236- 
253 

Groton  School.  46,  91. 

Gulick,  Rev.  Edward  Leeds,  86. 


HALE,  Samuel,  165. 
Hall,  Isaiah,  187. 
Hall,  Joseph,  187. 
Hall,  Hon.  Willard,  139. 
Hancock.  Rev.  John,  72. 
Harlow,  WiUiam  Holmes,  182. 
Harrington.  Phineas.  201. 
Harris,  Hon.  John,  13H. 
Hartwell,  Dr.  Benjamin  Hall,  117. 
Hartwell,     Jephthah     Richardson, 

214. 
Hauthorne,  William,  217. 
Hayden,  Albert,  203. 
Hazen,  Samuel,  233. 
Healy,  Nathaniel,  47,  48. 
Hemenway,  Daniel  P.,  147. 
Hemenway,  Joseph,  168. 
Hemenway,  Phineas,  168. 
Hemenway,  Samuel,  92. 
High  School,  180. 

Hildreth,  Hon.  Abijah  Edwin,  118. 
Hill,  Gen.  Albert  Harleigh,  10. 
Hill,  Charles  Henry,  181. 
Hill,  Henry,  169. 
Hills,  Joseph,  15. 
Hincklev,  Thomas,  5. 
Hoar,  Joseph,  187,  192.  202. 
Hoar,  Joseph  Nelson.  188. 
Hoar's  Tavern,  192. 
Hobart,  Rev.   Gershom,  37,  46,  71, 

189. 


Hobart  [Hubbard],  Israel,  129,  137, 

161. 
Hobart,  Shebuel,  160. 
Hobart,  Simon,  144. 
Hodgkins,  Hiram,  203. 
Hodgkins,  Ira.  203. 
Holden,  Charles,  68. 
Holden,  Isaac,  68. 
Holden,  Stephen,  44. 
Hollingsworth,  J,  M.,  215. 
Hollingsworth,    Lyman,    214,    215, 

216. 
Holmes,  Rev.  Lewis,  87. 
Holt,  John,  202. 
Homer,  Rev.  Jonathan,  47. 
Hough,  Dr.  Franklin  B.,  56. 
Howe,  Benjamin  Lincoln,  138. 
Howe.  Oliver,  215. 
Hubbard,  John,  33. 
Hubbard,  Jonathan,  184,  185. 
Hubbard,  Rev.  William,  2,  32,  149. 
Hunt.  Daniel,  188. 
Hunt,  George,  203. 
Hutchinson,  Gov.  Thomas,  36,  55. 


INDIANS,  22,  24,  34,  39,  45,  47 
48,  58. 
See  Philijfs  War. 
Indian  Queen  Inn,  200. 
"  Indian  Roll,"  119. 


J  EFTS,  John.  60. 
Jenkins,  Ann,  39. 
Jenkins,  Jonathan,  144. 
Jennison,  Martin,  194. 
Jewett,  Newell  M.,  194. 
Johnson,  Anson,  204. 
Johnson,  Capt.  Edward.  18. 
Johnson,  Mrs.  Susanna,  67. 
Johnson,  WiUiam,  204. 


KEEP,  Lieut.    Jonathan,    159. 
161,  187. 
Kemp,  David,  144. 
Kemp.  James,  195. 
Kemp,  Moses,  190. 
Kemp,  William,  190. 
Kemp,  William.  Jr.,  204. 
Kendall.  Hon.  Amos,  180. 
Kendall.  Obadiah,  203. 
Kilbourn,  Jeremiah,  166. 
King  William's  War,  35. 


INDEX. 


259 


Kittredge,  Rev.  Charles  Baker,  82. 
Knapp,  Elizabeth,  94. 
Knapp  [Kuop],  James,  219. 
Knox  Manuscripts,  43. 


I  AKIN,  Isaac,  51,  60,  65. 
J     Lakin,  John,  234. 

Lakin,  Joseph,  120,  158, 159. 

Lakin,  Lemuel,  191,203. 

Lakin,  Oliver,  171. 

Lakin  [Larkin],  Lieut.  William,  25, 
36,40,171 

Lawrence,  Hon.  Abbott,  139,  sketch 
of,  236. 

Lawrence,  Capt.  Abel,  124,  137,  159. 

Lawrence  Academy,  91 ;  early  bene- 
factors of,  92 ;  Jubilee  celebra- 
tion of,  93. 

Lawrence,  Amos,  92,  93,  126,  137, 
165,  185. 

Lawrence,  Capt.  Asa  Stillman,  133, 
138,  143,  170. 

Lawrence,  Rev.  Benjamin  Franklin, 
89,  169, 

Lawrence,  Enoch,  50. 

Lawrence,  Henry  Lewis,  187,  193, 
204. 

Lawrence,  Houghton,  203. 

Lawrence,  James,  51,  185,  186. 

Lawrence,  Jonathan,  171. 

Lawrence,  Hon.  Luther,  127,  130, 
135,  177, 190. 

Lawrence,  Nathaniel,  25,  119,  122. 

Lawrence,  Samuel,  92,  137, 159. 

Lawrence,  Thomas,  160. 

Lawrence,  William,  172,  185. 

Lawrence,  Col.  William,  76,  92,  93, 
124,  133,  136, 137. 

Leverett,  Pres.  John,  74. 

Lewis,  Aaron,  190,  195. 

Lewis,  Benjamin,  204. 

Lewis,  Capt.  James,  167,  173,  176. 

Lewis,  James,  Jr.,  137. 

Lewis,  Jonathan  Clark,  170. 

Light,  Reflection  of,  235. 

Livermore,  William,  130,  160. 

Livermore,  William,  Jr.,  131,  132, 
162. 

Locke,  Hon.  John,  139. 

Longley,  Dea.  John,  37,  42,  123, 
124,  158,  159,  160. 

Longley,  Joshua,  92. 

Longley,  Lydia,  43,  51. 


Longley,  William,  40,  41,  119,  158, 

228. 
Longley,  William,  Jr.,  21,  157,  158, 

159. 
Lord,  James,  203. 
Loring,  John  Hancock,  193,  194. 
Loring,  Jonathan,  207. 
Lothrop,  Capt.  Welcome,  173, 179. 
Lovewell,  Capt.  John,  59,  64,  222. 


McCOLLESTER,    Dr.     John 
Quincy  Adams,  116,  138. 

Manning,  Samuel,  171- 

Mansfield,  Dr.  George,  101. 

Mansfield,  Dr.  Joseph,  100,  1-59. 

Mark,  John,  215. 

Marshall,  Abel,  203. 

Marshall,  John,  45. 

Martin,  Lieut.  William,  petition  of, 
3,5,6. 

Martin,  William,  219. 

Massachusetts  Historical  Society, 
45,  47,  150. 

Mather,  Cotton,  35,  43. 

Mather,  Rev.  Increase,  30,  33. 

Maynard,  John  M.,  202. 

Means,  Rev.  James,  delivers  ad- 
dress at  Jubilee  celebration  of 
Lawrence  Academy,  94. 

Meeting-house,  First  Parish,  1  ; 
monument  erected  to  commemo- 
rate, 33. 

Methodist  Church,  90. 

Miles,  Hezekiah,  39. 

Military  Companies,  167. 

Miller,  Rev.  John,  68. 

Ministers,  John  Miller,  68  ;  Samuel 
Willard,  69 ;  Gershom  Hobart, 
71  ;  Samuel  Carter,  72 ;  John 
Odly  [Odlin],  73  ;  Dudley  Brad- 
street,  73 ;  Caleb  Trowbridge, 
74 ;  Samuel  Dana,  75 ;  Daniel 
Chaplin,  75  ;  Charles  Robinson, 
76 ;  George  Wadsworth  VV^ells, 
77 ;  Joseph  Couch  Smith,  77  ; 
Crawford  Nightingale,  78  ;  George 
McKean  Folsom,  79  ;  John  Mar- 
tin Luther  Babcock,  79  ;  Joshua 
Young,  80 ;  John  Todd,  82 ; 
Charles  Baker  Kittredge,  82  ; 
Dudley  Phelps,  83  ;  Edwin  Adol- 
phus  Bulkley,  83;  William 
Wheeler  Parker,  84  ;  Jeremiah 
Knight    Aldrich,    84;    Benjamin 


260 


INDEX. 


Adams  Robie,  85;  George  Austin 
Pelton,  85  ;  John  Barstow,  85 ; 
Edward  Leeds  Gulick,  86  ;  Amasa 
Sanderson,  86 :  Alfred  Pinney, 
86  ;  Lewis  Holmes.  87  ;  John 
Allen,  87;  George  Everett  Tucker, 
87 ;  Lucius  Edwin  Smith,  88  ; 
Oliver  Ajer,  88  ;  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin Lawrence,  89  :  Herman  Frank- 
lin Titus,  89 ;  Thomas  Herbert 
Goodwin,  89  ;  Frank  Curtis  Whit- 
ney, 89  ;  Samuel  Bastiii  Nobbs, 
90. 

Moore,  Abraham,  173, 176. 

Moore,  Dr.  James  SJoody,  117. 

Moores,  Abraham,  157,  185,  186. 

Moors,  Benjamin,  1-37,  228. 

Moors,  .Joseph,  92,  129,  130.  155. 

Mors,  Nathan,  18i. 

Morse,  Dr.  Benjamin,  95,  129,  135. 

Morse,  John,  32,  S3,  158^223. 

Morse,  Jonathan,  157,  158. 

Myrick,  John,  47. 


NAME,  Indian  derivation  of,  6  ; 
originator  of,  8  ;  spelling  of, 
13,  14. 
Nash,  Joshua,  210. 
Needham,   Hon.    Daniel,  118,   132, 

162. 
New  England  Historic  Genealogical 

Society,  15,  18.  43. 
Nicholas,  Amos,  203. 
Nightingale,  Rev.  Crawford,  78. 
Nobbs,  Rev.  Samuel  Bastin,  90. 
Noyes,  Thomas,  217. 
Nutting,  John,  27,28,  29,  33. 


o 


DLY  [Odlin],  John, 


PAGE.  John.  24,  119,  122,  158. 
Paine,  Robert  Treat,  70. 
Palmer,  Hon.  Moses  Poor,  118,  133; 

sketch  of,  243. 
Paper  Mills,  213. 
Paris,  John,  122. 
Parish,  Robert,  24. 
Park,  John  Gray,  131,  1-35,  1-59. 
Park,  Hon.  Stuart  James,  118. 
Parker,  Abigail,  171. 
Parker,  Addison,  204. 


Parker,  Benjamin,  62. 

Parker,  Ebenezer,  171. 

Parker,  Lieut.  Isaac,  66,  67. 

Parker,  Jacob  Lakin,  137. 

Parker,  Capt.  James,  25,  119.  120, 
122,  1.57,  158,  160,  185,  218,  223, 
224,  226. 

Parker,  James,  Jr.,  37. 

Parker,  John  Warren,  131,  159. 

Parker,  Jonas,  191. 

Parker,  Joseph,  20,  223. 

Parker,  Josiah,  158,  159,  222. 

Parker,  Levi,  193. 

Parker,  Robert,  144. 

Parker,  Capt.  Samuel,  171, 184, 185. 

Parker,  Rev.  William  Wheeler,  84. 

Parsons,  Dr.  John  Eleazer,  116. 

Pattei-son,  James,  184. 

Peabody.  John,  162. 

Pearse,  Daniel,  227. 

Pelton,  Rev   George  Austin,  85. 

Penhallow,  Samuel,  44,  58. 

Petitions,  Deane  Winthrop's,  3 ; 
Lieutenant  William  Martin's,  3, 
4,  5;  entry  in  General  Court 
Records  regarding,  6 ;  record  of 
House  of  Deputies,  6;  first  docu- 
ment to  General  Court,  15  ;  John 
Tinker's,  16. 

Phelps,  Rev.  D^dlev,  83. 

Phelps,  Levi  W.,  198. 

Philip's  War,  2,  23,  24,  27,  29-33. 

Physicians,  Amos  Bancroft,  101  ; 
Amos  Bigelow  Bancroft,  107  ; 
Henry  Blasdell,  95  ;  Edson  Cham- 
pion Chamberlain,  116  ;  Ezekiel 
Chase,  95  ;  Joseph  Franklin  Cool- 
idge.  112  ;  James  Merrill  Cum- 
mings,  108  ;  Kendall  Davis,  111 ; 
Micah  Eldredge,  104;  Samuel 
Farnsworth,  97;  Lemuel  Fuller, 
110  :  Jonathan  Gove,  97 ;  Joshua 
Green.  103  ;  Benjamin  Hall  Hart- 
well,  117  ;  John  Quincy  Adams 
McCollester,  116 ;  George  Mans- 
field, 101  :  Joseph  Mansfield,  100; 
James  Moody  Moore,  117 :  Ben- 
jamin Morse,  95  ;  John  Eleazer 
Parsons,  116  ;  Peter  Pineo,  111 ; 
Richard  Upton  Piper.  Ill  :  Ohver 
Prescott,  92,  98  :  Oliver  Prescott, 
Jr.,  98,  100  ;  Marion  Zachariah 
Putnam,  114;  Rufus  Shackford, 
109;  Gibson  Smith,  116;  Nor, 
man  Smith,  109  ;    Miles  Spauld- 


INDEX. 


261 


ing,.110;    George   Stearns,  106; 
George  Washington  Stearns,  113  ; 
David  Roscoe   Steere,  113  ;    Eph- 
raim    Ware,    96;    William     Bar- 
nard     Warren,     114;      William 
Ambrose     AVebster,    112 ;      Abel 
Hervey  Wilder,  108  ;  Jacob  Wil- 
liams, 105  ;  Ebenezer  Willis,  115  ; 
James  Wilson,  105;  Edward  Hub- 
bard    Winslow,    113;     Ephraim 
Woolson,  96. 
Pierce,  George,  172. 
Pike,  Barney,  204. 
Pike,  Rev.  John,  47. 
Pineo,  Dr.  Peter,  111. 
Pinney,  Rev.  Alfred,  86. 
Piper,  Dr.  Richard  Upton,  111. 
Pollard,  Jacob,  138. 
Population,  147-153. 
Porter,  John  Mason,  138. 
Post-Office,  171-183. 
Post-rider,  172. 
Potter,  Luther  Fitch,  195. 
Prescott,  Abel.  196. 
Prescott,  Abijah,  168. 
Prescott,  Lieut.  Benjamin   123, 124 

136,  143,  160. 
Prescott,  Charles,  194. 
Prescott,  Hon.  James,  118, 125,  126, 
127, 129,  133,  134,  135,  136,  137, 
211. 
Prescott,    Hon.   James,   Jr.,     135, 

136, 
Prescott,  Jonas,  123, 157,  159. 
Prescott,  Capt.  Jonas,  Jr. ,  123,  136. 
Prescott,  Dr.  Oliver,  92,  98, 126, 130 

133,  134,  136,  159,  210. 
Prescott,  Dr.  Oliver,  Jr.,  98,  100, 

159,  210. 
Prescott,    Phinehas    Gilman,    131, 

133. 
Prescott,  Col.  William,  92,  98,  143, 

144. 
Priest,  Eleazer,  68. 
Priest,  Joseph,  68. 
Proctor,  Wilder,  204, 
Putnam,    Dr.    Marion    Zachariah, 
114. 


Q 


UEEN  Anne's  War,  44,  49. 


RAILROADS,  115. 
Rawson,  Edward,  3,  5,  18. 

Rebellion,  AVar  of ,  see  Union,  War 
for. 

Reed,  Ralph,  219. 

Representatives   to  General  Court, 
list  of,  118. 

Revolution,   Groton   in  the  war  of 
the,  142-144. 

Rice,  Hon.  Thomas,  140. 

Richardson.  Alpheus,  161, 168. 

Richardson,  Amos,  5. 

Richardson,  Converse,  189. 

Richardson,  Capt.  Jephthah,  189. 

Richardson,    Hon.    William     Mer- 
chant, 134,  140,  173,    175. 

Richardson  Tavern,  the,  189,  191. 

Ridge  Hill  Tavern,  the,  193. 

Robbins,  Andrew,  208. 

Robbins,  Eleazer,  154,  184 

Robbins,  Levi,  203. 

Roberts,  Stephen,  196. 

Robie,  Rev.  Benjamin  Adams,  85. 

Robinson,  Rev.  Charles,  76. 

Rockwood,  Capt.  John,  130. 

Rockwood,  Samuel,  92,  157,  159. 

Rockwood,   Mrs.    Sarah  (Chaplin') 
76.  ^' 

Rogers,  Rev.  Ezekiel,  68. 
Rouse,  Alexander,  37. 
Rowe,  Samuel  William,  170. 
Russ,  John,  202. 
Russell,  Ephraim,  137. 


ST.  JOHN'S  Chapel,  91. 
Sanderson,  Rev.-Amasa,  86. 
Sartel,  Nathaniel,  159. 
Sartell,  Jonathan,  186. 
Sartell,  Capt.  Josiah,  126,  143.  185 
186.  .        .        >        , 

Sawtell,  Capt.  Ephraim,  160,  161 

Sawtell,  Capt.  John,  143. 

Sawtell    [Sartlel,  Capt.   Nathaniel. 

122-124,  136,  160. 
Sawtell,  Obadiah,  66,  68. 
Sawtell,  Richard.  28,  157,  158,  224. 
Sawyer,  Capt.  Wesley   Caleb,   145, 

146.  ' 

Scales,  Oliver,  203. 
Scripture,  Samuel,  Jr.,  155. 
Second  Adventists,  169. 
Second  Church,  formation  of,  81. 
Seger,  Ebenezer,  47,  48. 
Settlers,  early,  14  ;  trials  of,  21 


262 


IXDEX. 


Sewall,   Chief- Justice    Samuel,    37, 

44. 
Shackford,  Dr.  Rufus,  100. 
Shattuck,  Capt.  Daniel,  131,    162, 

190. 
Shattuck,  Francis,  191. 
Shattuck,  Frank,  204. 
Shattuck.  George.  160,  162. 
Shattuck,  Joel,  204. 
Shattuck,  John,  49.  50. 
Shattuck  Manuscripts,  15,  18. 
Shattuck,  Milo  Henry,  168.  190. 
Shattuck,    Capt.    Noah,    130,    156, 

159,  167. 
Shattuck,  Samuel,  62. 
Shattuck' s  Tavern,  192. 
Shattuck,   Walter,    160,  162,  169, 

170,  208. 
Shattuck.  William,  131,  133,  204. 
Shed.  Joseph,  159,  161. 
Sheedv.  John  H. ,  166. 
Shepard.  William,  201. 
Sheple,  Jonathan,  157,  159,  185. 
Sheple,  Joseph,  135. 
Sheple,  Oliver,  213. 
Sheple,  Oliver.  Jr.,  213. 
Sheple,  Washinston,  213. 
Shepley,  Hon.  Ether,  38,  140. 
Sheplev,  Gen.  Georse  Foster,  38. 
Shepley  [Sheple],  John,  37,  41, 122, 

123. 
Shepley,  Capt.  Samuel,  3. 
ShepleV,  Washington,  205. 
Sheplev,  Wilder,  190. 
Shepley,  William.  190. 
Sherman,  Rev.  John,  70.> 
Shumway,  Eliel,  132. 
Simpson,  Maj.  Daniel,  190. 
Slavery  in  Groton,  153-157. 
Smart;  William,  203. 
Smith,  Dr.  Gibson.  116. 
Smith,  Rev.  Joseph  Couch,  77. 
Smith,  Rev.  Lucius  Edwin,  88. 
Smith,  Nathaniel  Pierce,  195. 
Smith,  Dr.  Norman,  109. 
Smith,  Richard,  5. 
Smith,  Hon.  Samuel  Emerson,  140. 
South  Groton,  Mass,  182;   list  of 

post-masters,  182. 
Spalter,  John  Hamilton,  168,  189. 
Spaulding,  Joseph,  185. 
Spaulding,  Dr.  Miles,  110. 
Spaulding,  Timothy,  189. 
Stage-coaches,  196. 
Stamp  Act,  141. 


Staples,  Gen.  Thomas  Adams,  169, 

202. 
Starch-Factory,  213. 
Starling,  Samuel,  172. 
Stearns,  Hon.  Asahel,  141. 
Stearns,  Dr.  George,  106. 
Steiirns,    Dr.    George  Washington, 

113. 
Steere,  Dr.  David  Roscoe,  113,  169. 
Stevens,  John,  186,  193. 
Stewart,  Joseph,  203. 
Stillman,  Rev.  Samuel,  163. 
Stockwell,  Spencer,  147. 
Stoddard,  John.  53. 
Stone,  Samuel,  205. 
Stone,  Simon,  123. 
Stone,  Warren  Fay,  131,  133. 
Stores,  old,  in  Groton,  162-171. 
Stoughton,  Lieut.-Gov.  William, 39. 
Sullivan,  Hon.  James,  135,  141. 
Swan,  Major  William,  76,  92,  136, 

170. 


ri'^AFT,  Benjamin  Franklin,  132. 
X      Tarbel,  Benjamin,  172. 
Tarbell,  Capt.  Abel,  167. 
Tarbell,  Battice,  56. 
Tarbell,  John,  54. 
Tarbell,  Lesor  [Eleazer],  57. 
Tarbell,  Loran',  56. 
Tarbell,  Louis,  56. 
Tarbell,  Michel,  56. 
Tarbell,  Peter,  56. 
Tarbell,  Samuel,  62,  160. 
Tarbell,  Lieut.  Solomon.  161. 
Tarbell,  Thomas,  51-54, 56, 120, 159, 

185. 
Tarbell,  Thomas,  Jr.,  24,  159. 
Tarbell,  William,  185. 
Tarbell,  Zachariah,  54. 
Taverns,  old, 183. 
Telegraph,  first,  183. 
Telejahone,  first,  183. 
Tenny,  Samuel  Clark,  191. 
Thomas,  Palmer,  203. 
Tilden,  Charles  Linzee,  145. 
Tileston  &  HoUingsworth,  50,  216. 
Tinker,  John.  5,  16,  22,  148. 
Titus,  Rev.  Herman  Franklin,  89. 
Titus,  Moses,  204. 
Todd,  Rev.  John,  81,  82,  90. 
Town  Clerks,  list  of,  157-159. 
Township,  original  grant  of,  2. 
Tracy   Elijah,''207. 


INDEX. 


263 


Trowbridge,  Rev.  Caleb,  74. 
Trowbridge,  Caleb,  Jr.,  185,  186. 
Treasurers,  of  Groton,  160-162. 
Trees,  marking  of,  20,  21. 
Trumbull,  Hon.  J.  Hammond,  6,  7. 
Tucker,  Rev.  George  Everett,  87. 
Tufton,  Thomas  Sackville,  170. 
Tufts,  Levi,  194. 
Tyng,  Edward,  70. 
Tyng,  Jonathan,  223. 


UNDERWOOD,  Timothy,  203. 
Union,  War  for,  Groton   in 
the,  144-147. 


Y 


ARNUM,  Hon.  John,  141. 
Veazie,  A.  M.,  195. 


TXr  ALDRON,  Capt.  Richard,  23. 

fV       Walker,  Seth,  68. 
Ward,  Capt.  Samuel,  170. 
Ware,  Dr.  Ephraim,  96. 
Warren,  Alden,  160,  162. 
Warren,  Dr.  William  Barnard,  114. 
Waters,  Charles  Harrison,  246. 
Waters,  Henry  A.,  147. 
Wayman,  Rev   John  W.,  13. 
Webb,  Benjamiq,  196. 
Webber,  John,  204. 
AVebber,  Ward,  204 
Webster,  Rev.  Samuel,  142. 
Webster,     Dr.    William    Ambrose, 

112. 
Wells,  Rev.  George  Wadsworth,  77. 
West  Groton  Mass.,  90,  181 ;  list  of 

postmasters,  181. 
Wethered,  John,  210. 
Wheeler,  Abner,  167 
Wheeler.  Eliphalet,  167,  173,  176. 
Wheeler,  Levi,  203. 
Wheeler,  Moses,  68. 
Wheelock,  J.,  200. 
Wheelock,  S.,  200. 
Whetcomb,  David,  184. 
White,  Thomas,  186. 
White,  William,  186. 
Whitney,  Rev.  Frank  Curtis,  89. 


Whiton,  Elijah,  209. 

Wilder,  Dr  Abel  Hervey,  108. 

Willard,  Henry,  62. 

Willard,  Miriam,  67. 

Willard,  Moses.  67,  68. 

Willard,  Rev.  Samuel,  69,  94,  118, 

218 
Willard,  Mnj.  Simon,  25,  118. 
Williams,  Dr   Jacob,  105. 
Williams,  John,  53. 
Willis,  Dr.  Ebenezer,  115. 
Wilson,  Dr.  James,  105. 
Winslow,    Dr.     Edward    Hubbard, 

113. 
Winthrop,  Adam,  10. 
Winthrop,  Deane,  petition  of,  3,  5, 

6  ;  sketch  of,  8,  9. 
Winthrop,  Gov.  Fitz-John,  10. 
Winthrop,  Gov.  John,  8. 
Winthrop,  John,  Jr.,  10. 
Winthrop,  Hon.    Robert   C,  letter 

from,  to  Dr.    Samuel  A.   Green, 

9. 
Wood,  Artemas,  168,  173. 
Wood,  Ephraim,  136. 
Woodbridge,  Dudley,  171. 
Woodcock,  Henry,  173,  179. 
Woods,  Benjamin,  144. 
Woods,  Daniel,  60. 
Woods,  Eber,  Jr.,  235. 
Woods,  Harvey  Alpheus,  182,  196. 
Woods,  Gen.  Henry,  148,  166,  173, 

178. 
Woods,  John,  154. 
Woods,  Levi  W  ,  196. 
Woods,  Nathaniel,  184. 
Woods,  Robert  Parker,  132. 
Woods,  Sampson,  92,  137. 
Woods,  Samuel,  160,  184,  223. 
Woods,  Thomas,  60. 
Woodward,  John,  190. 
Woolley,  Charles,  3,  210. 
Woolley,  Charles,  Jr.,  170. 
Woolsou,Dr   Ephraim,  96, 
Wright,  Abijah,  192. 
Wright,  Mrs.  John,  211, 
Wyman,  Ensign,  63. 


T^OUNG,  Rev.  Joshua, 


